New Delhi: Tearing into the Congress, defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday accused it of misleading the country with “falsehood” on Rafale deal and said while the Bofors scam brought the Congress down, Rafale will bring Prime Minister Narendra Modi back into power.
Under the deal finalised by the NDA government, the delivery of first Rafale will happen in 2019, while the last of 36 jets will be delivered in 2022, the minister informed the house.
With regard to pricing difference, Sitharaman sa-id there was no formal pr-ice noting by the Congress of Rs 526 crore as the deal price. But the price negotiated by the NDA government is nine per cent lower than what was negotiated by UPA.
“Comparing the cost of Rs 526 crore with Rs 1,600 crore, is like comparing apples to oranges. The cost quoted in 2007 will it remain the same in 2016, because there is exchange rate variation,” she said.
