After Opposition parties, various Left-leaning farmers’ organisations and trade unions have decided to launch protests against the Centre on the Rafale scam.
The Jan Ekta Jan Adhikar Andolan (JEJAA), a platform of more than 100 farmers’ outfits, trade unions and cultural organisations, has demanded the resignation of Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and urged a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the aircraft deal.
It has also announced campaigns, demonstrations and protest sit-ins on the issue at all districts across the country between October 22 and 28.
JEJAA leaders Hannan Mollah, Tapan Sen, Annie Raja, Kavita Krishnan and Rahul Roy told reporters here on Friday the multi-crore Rafale scam is yet another example of the Narendra Modi government’s priorities.
“This government is completely engrossed in pleasing the crony capitalists by showing them ways to maximise profits at the cost of public money. By allowing the private sector to use the defence sector as yet another area to loot, this government is not only putting the security of the country at risk, but also endangers the lives of soldiers,” the leaders said in a statement.
They alleged that the Rafale scam is a clear example of high-level corruption involving none other than the Prime Minister.
“Media reports and evidence available in the public domain, including the Parliament of India, suggest that the loss to the exchequer by this deal could be around ₹41,205 crore,” they said.
The leaders added that state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) was bypassed for unknown reasons for the ‘offset contract’ worth over ₹30,000 crore.
“Modi ensured that the contract was given to his friend Anil Ambani’s company, Reliance Defence, which has no experience in not just manufacturing fighter aircrafts but also in the aviation sector. The reason for cutting the number of aircraft to 36 is also unknown,” they said, adding that the additional burden on the exchequer could be ₹41,000 crore.
Demands resignation
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi is misusing nationalism to cover the loot of public money. In this context, JEJAA demands the resignation of Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman owning moral responsibility for the largest scam in the history of the country,” the leaders said.
“The Rafale deal is a major corruption scam that needs a thorough investigation by a JPC. Only a JPC probe can bring all the shady details behind this deal before the public. The priority of this government is not in solving the problems of common people, farmers and workers but in ensuring windfall profit for its crony corporates,” their statement added.