Congress, Left, AAP demand JPC probe into Rafale deal

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, December 14

Within hours of Supreme Court’s turning down of a court-monitored investigation into the Rafale deal, Opposition parties demanded a joint parliamentary committee to inquire into the matter.

In separate statements issued throughout the day, Congress, left parties and Aam Aadmi Party said they wanted a parliamentary panel to investigate the deal.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday maintained that there was massive corruption in the contract and wondered why the CAG report "cited by the Supreme Court" on it had not yet been shared with the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament.

Is a guilty Modi Govt seeking to ‘correct’ the patent fraud played upon the Supreme Court, which founded its judgement on a non-existent CAG Report in #RafaelVerdict.

A petrified Govt rushing to seek a review in hindsight to cover its tracks?

Truth has a way of catching up!

— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) December 14, 2018

Both government and Anil Ambani's Reliance Groud have rejected Gandhi's allegations of corruption.

At a press conference, Gandhi said the Supreme Court in its verdict cited that a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on the Rafale deal was submitted to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) but asserted that no such report was given to the House panel headed by Congress' leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjuna Kharge.

Kharge, who was also present at the briefing, said PAC has not received any such report.

"Where has that report gone? Is it with some other PAC that PM Modi has set up," he asked in a dig at the government.

He also accused the Modi government of destroying "all institutions" and asserted that corruption to the tune of Rs 30,000 crore has taken place in the Rafale deal under its watch.

In a relief to the Modi government, the Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the pleas challenging the deal between India and France for procurement of 36 Rafale jets saying there was no occasion to "really doubt the decision making process" warranting setting aside of the contract.

The apex court rejected the pleas that sought lodging of an FIR and a court-monitored probe alleging irregularities in the Rs 58,000 crore deal, in which both the countries have entered into an inter-governmental agreement (IGA).

Left agrees               

Left parties echoed Congress’s demand.

"The truth about the Rafale scam will only come out through the mechanism of a JPC. We reiterate our long-standing demand for a JPC. Modi's refusal to have a JPC is the biggest evidence of guilt (sic)," Communist Party India (Marx) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury wrote on Twitter.

The party posted on its official Twitter handle that the SC verdict was not a clean chit to the Narendra Modi government.

"SC has merely stated that it doesnt have Jurisdiction under Article 32 of the Constitution. Only a JPC can uncover the truth about #RafaleScam," it tweeted.

D Raja, national secretary of the CPI, said that Parliament was supreme in a democracy and the government should agree to a JPC probe into the defence deal to ensure that the truth is revealed.

"Parliament is supreme in our democracy. All opposition parties have been demanding a JPC probe into the Rafale fighter jet deal. Why cannot the government agree on a JPC probe? After all, the issue is related to the country's security. Let there be a JPC probe and the truth will come out," he said. I don't know how the Supreme Court can come to such a conclusion," he added. CPI General Secretary S Sudhakar Reddy said the Supreme Court order is not a clean chit to the government.

"Technical know-how may be confidential but the price paid by the government is taxpayers' money. Taxpayers have right to know what was the price paid by the government," Reddy said. 

'Contrarian BJP'

Aam Aadmi Party’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said the Centre must be willing to have transparent discussion about the deal in the Parliament.

“Would not comment on the SC order, but the Rafale deal must be discussed in Parliament as also said by BJP minister Arun Jaitley today and the BJP must put up all facts related to the deal before the Houses and form a JPC to look into the matter as to why an aircraft priced at Rs 526 crore was procured at inflated Rs 1670 crore and a private inexperienced entity (Reliance Defence) was given the contract instead of the public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Limited by the Modi government,” Singh told reporters here.

He also accused the BJP of being contrarian when it came to the Supreme Court’s rulings—while they willing embraced Friday’s verdict, they firmly opposed the court’s actions in two other cases: Sabarimala and the Ayodhya land dispute.  “The BJP is celebrating with Amit Shah saying the Supreme Court has given it a clean chit on the matter. The BJP is overjoyed and is talking about challenging the opposition parties on the issue. Earlier Amit Shah had questioned the Sabrimala verdict of the Supreme Court refusing to accept it and saying it would be overturned.”

“Disregarding the top court, they (right wing organizations) rallied for a law or an ordinance to building Ram Temple in Ayodhya,” Singh said adding that the party should first learn to respect the apex court. With PTI