Warangal: Taking strong objection to the allegations levelled by AICC general secretary K. Jayakumar that the NDA government was involved in a scam regarding purchase of Rafale fighter jets, BJP Warangal Urban president Rao Padma said the Rafale deal was a trade agreement between India and France.
“The Bofors scam that took place during the Congress rule had middlemen from Italy benefitting. But this deal is completely different from it,” she said.
Ms Padma said that the Manmohan Singh government in 2007 struck the deal with France to purchase only the basic fighter jets but the Modi government in 2015 rethought the deal and decided to purchase 36 fully armed fighter jets.
According to the deal, all the jets would be manufactured in France. The price of each jet now costs nine percent less than what it cost 10 years ago, she said.
She ridiculed the Congress leaders saying hearing the party make an issue out of the Rafale deal is like a thief calling out ‘thief thief’ after a burglary was committed. “Several scams that took place during the Congress rule were brought to light and proven. The party is notorious for scams. As the Congress leaders allege, there is no connection between Ambani and this deal. Ambani’s company has taken up a sub contract from this deal. AICC president Rahul Gandhi himself is not sure how much the Rafale deal is worth. His figures differ between '520 crore, '526 crore, '540 crore and '700,”she said.
Elsewhere in Karimnagar, BJP leader Bandi Sanjay too criticised the Congress Tamil Nadu MLA’s allegations against the BJP-led NDA government.
