Officers express outrage over Moily's remarks

NEW DELHI: Several armed forces officers on Thursday expressed outrage over senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily's allegation that Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa was "lying" about the Rafale jet deal, stressing the IAF chief only stated that his force desperately needed new fighters and had refused to get into the ongoing political dogfight over the matter.

"The IAF chief has unnecessarily been dragged into the political controversy between BJP and Congress. Serving officers cannot respond to political comments," said a senior officer.

Added another, "Unfortunately, as has been seen over the decades, such scandals and controversies only end up hitting the modernisation of the armed forces. If there is any wrongdoing in any deal, ensure the guilty are punished, but don't derail desperately-needed military inductions."

Responding to questions on Wednesday, in the backdrop of the Supreme Court dismissing petitions seeking a probe into the Rs 59,000 crore deal with France for 36 Rafale fighters, ACM Dhanoa had said the acquisition of the jets was a critical operational necessity for his force.

"We are saying we need the Rafales. The government is saying we need them. The SC, which has given a good judgment, has said the IAF needs them. It has taken us so long to get the fighters, and in the meantime our regional adversaries or neighbours have upgraded (their military capabilities)," he said.

"I will not go into the politics of it because it is a separate issue. But I don't think there is any technical argument against the aircraft as such. Everybody agrees it's a good aircraft and that we need it given our strategic scenario," he added.

The IAF has earlier also strongly defended the Rafale deal, stressing the fighters would prove to be "gamechangers" in air combat capabilities in the region . The then IAF vice-chief Air Marshal S B Deo had dismissed the controversy over the Rafale acquisition as "ill-in formed".