Sir — The Rs 58,000 crore Rafale deal refuses to die, casts a cloud over the BJP and adds to its worries. As several defence deals did in the past, the Rafale deal too might rock the country and dominate politics in the coming days. The ruling party is sure to lose out in the perception battle if the Opposition manages to keep the row alive in the intervening period from now till the general election.
The Government cannot at the one hand, claim that it has nothing to hide behind ‘confidentiality’ and on the other, do so without eyebrows being raised. As the money is theirs and the Government is only their surrogate, it cannot invoke the ‘larger national interest’ to keep the details of the deal under wraps.
The rationale for the three-fold increase in the cost of the war planes within a span of three years is not amenable to be explained in believable terms. It is hard to believe that the rate of inflation spiralled so high in such a short period. The cost difference between the price negotiated by the UPA Government and the purchase price agreed to and paid by the NDA Government is too staggering to wish away for political convenience.
We are unconvinced that the disclosure of the breakdown of the costs ipso facto will reveal the aircraft’s capability. What components go into the making of a Rafale plane, albeit protected by patent, is not a guarded secret among the community of military technology. The Prime Minister must clarify the issue and clear the air.