Congress does not doubt quality of Rafale, but wants a probe: Former Union minister Jaipal Reddy

Senior Congressman and former Union Minister Jaipal Reddy on Friday said while his party did not doubt the quality of the Rafale aircraft, what it was objecting to was the handling of the project by the government and the loss of Rs 41,000 crore under the deal.

Speaking at a press conference he said the party has sought a probe into the deal. Earlier, the UPA government was planning to buy 126 aircraft but the Narendra Modi government has purchased only 36 aircraft, he said.

He also questioned the PM’s silence on this deal even as other ministers were offering clarifications.

Reddy said that that Congress President Rahul Gandhi has demanded Joint Parliamentary Panel comprising member of both houses but the ruling party has rejected this demand. He wondered as to why was the BJP afraid of bringing out all the facts before the public.

The Rafale deal is a defence agreement signed between India and France for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft in a fly-away condition as part of the upgrading process of the Indian Air Force equipment.