New Delhi: Tearing into the Congress, defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday accused it of misleading the country with “falsehood” on the Rafale deal.
“While the Bofors scam brought the Congress down, Rafale will bring Prime Minister Narendra Modi back into power,” she said.
During her nearly two-hour-long reply to a discussion on the Rafale deal in Lok Sabha, Ms Sitharaman gave a “point-by-point” rebuttal to the Opposition’s allegations, including on price of the fighter aircraft and HAL not getting the offset contract, and alleged that the Congress stalled the deal when it was in power as it “didn’t get money” and ignored national security.
“Defence ministry has been functioning without dalals (middlemen) during five years of Modi. Rafale is a decision in national interest.
“I don’t want to talk about Bofors because Bofors was a scam and Rafale is not. Bofors brought them down. Rafale will bring us back, Rafale will bring Modi back to have a new and transforming India and remove the corruption which is stinking around the Congress,” the minister said.
Countering the Congress’ charge, she said that it was the Indian Air Force which suggested that the government buy two squadrons or 36 Rafale jets in fly-away condition instead of 18, as was planned to be purchased under the Congress-led UPA government.
She accused the Congress of compromising with national security in the interest of the party’s “treasury” while deciding on buying 126 fighter jets.
