Along with party present Rahul Gandhi, senior leaders Ashok Gehlot, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Randeep Surjewala and AK Antony will head to the CAG at 11 am in the morning.
Keeping up the heat on the Rafale deal, senior Congress leaders late on Tuesday night said they will now approach the Comptroller Audit General (CAG) demanding an audit report of the deal. Along with party present Rahul Gandhi, senior leaders Ashok Gehlot, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Randeep Surjewala and AK Antony will head to the CAG at 11 am in the morning.
Earlier in the day, the two parties exchange barbs over the deal, with former and current defence ministers AK Antony and Nirmala Sitharaman exchanging words on Tuesday. First, in a press conference held by the Congress party, Antony said that Sitharaman has misled the nation on several facts.
He said that Sitharaman's claim that an intervention by him in 2013 when the cost negotiation committee was giving final touches to the deal was why he could make the claim. "Her allegations are completely false and she is deliberately suppressing the facts. The contract negotiations were almost over and when the proposal was sent to the finance ministry, the finance ministry felt that the 'Life Cycle Cost' concept is new and they cannot support it," said Antony.
Antony further said that UPA government had, at that time, received objections and reservations in written from various leaders including a senior BJP MP about the 'Life Cycle Cost Calculation' while Indian Air Force insisted that the deal be finalised. "I, then, directed that the negotiations be continued, but to be taken to the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), only after disputes are settled," said Antony.
Later in the day, while addressing reporters at an event, Sitharaman said that the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Dassault couldn't agree on production terms under the UPA government, showing that the Congress-led UPA government did not back HAL in 2013.
"The deal didn't happen during the UPA government. What also didn't happen during the UPA was that between HAL and Dassault, they couldn't agree on production terms. So HAL and Rafale couldn't go together. Doesn't that very clearly say who didn't go with the HAL, under which government did that happen," said Sitharaman.
Barbs Exchanged
Earlier in the day, the two parties traded barbs, with former and current defence ministers AK Antony and Nirmala Sitharaman exchanging words.
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