Seeking to step up its attack on the Narendra Modi government over the Rafale deal, the Congress will raise the issue with the CAG today and demand a thorough probe into the matter, party sources said.
Seeking to step up its attack on the Narendra Modi government over the Rafale deal, the Congress will raise the issue with the CAG today and demand a thorough probe into the matter, party sources said.
They said top Congress leaders will meet the Comptroller and Auditor General Wednesday morning on the issue.
The Congress has alleged corruption in the deal to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets from France's Dassault Aviation. It has alleged that the Modi government has caused a loss of over Rs 41,000 crore to the exchequer by paying a higher price for the aircraft than what was negotiated by the UPA.
Earlier in the day, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the CAG and CVC are bounden by their constitutional duty to look at the entire deal and all its papers - whether or not somebody moves them.
"Congress Party at an appropriate time also intends to move an appropriate petition before CVC and CAG to expeditiously and quickly adhere to their constitutional duties," he said.
The Congress has asked why the government was not setting up a joint parliamentary committee to probe the fighter jet deal. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, however, rejected the demand saying all the details on it have already been placed before Parliament.
However, rebutting all charges, Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said that it was the UPA government that had dropped the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd during the negotiations.
"The UPA did not care for either the Indian Air Force or the HAL. To say that we are not taking care of HAL is totally incorrect," Sitharaman said during an interaction at the Indian Women Press Corps in the national capital.
The UPA was negotiating a deal with the Dassault Aviation under which 18 Rafale jets were to be supplied in fly-away condition while 108 aircraft were to be manufactured in India by the company along with HAL.
Asked about the opposition's demand for probe by a joint parliamentary committee, Sitharaman said there was no need for it as all facts relating to the deal have been placed before Parliament.
"Why JPC? We have placed all the details before the Parliament. The opposition should go through them," she said.
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