New Delhi, October 11
Defence Minister George Fernandes today came under attack from former Union Minister Eduardo Faleiro, who demanded a scrutiny of all military deals by a joint committee of Parliament, especially the “agreement” to purchase six Scorpene Class submarines from a French consortium which is also selling submarines to Pakistan.
Mr Faleiro, who is also a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence, charged the Defence Minister with adopting double standards. On the one hand, he said, Mr Fernandes was vocally supporting self-reliance and indigenisation and Swadeshi economic policies and on the other, the Ministry of Defence had approved import of equipment worth over “Rs 100,000 crore.”
A member of the Rajya Sabha, Mr Faleiro said at a press conference that despite an indigenous submarine design plan, Project 75, being finalised, the government was going ahead with the purchase of the Scorpene submarine from the French consortium DCN-CSF Thomson. He alleged that CSF Thomson (now Thales) was involved in “shady deals” while selling Lafayette frigates to Taiwan and the Agosta submarines to Pakistan.
Mr Faleiro said the six Scorpenes would cost India Rs 12,500 crore, in semi knocked-down and completely knocked-down condition, while the entire cost of the 20 submarines under the 30-year building plan was Rs 15,000 crore.
“The Defence Ministry must disclose the reasons for the Scorpene deal. The government should also inform the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence on the status of the indigenous project of submarine building.”
