All India Congress Committee (AICC) Spokesperson and In-charge for Bihar, Shakti Singh Gohil on Wednesday raked up the issue of multi-billion Rafale combat aircraft deal while accusing the ruling BJP Government at the Centre of changing the contract to benefit a corporate friend.
Gohil was here under Congress party’s nation-wide campaign to expose the alleged corruption in Rafale deal by conducting press conferences across the country.
Addressing a press conference here Gohil expressed his annoyance that the deal was made triple-fold overnight and previous deal done by the UPA Government was cancelled.
“Inking the deal at a much higher price than the one the previous UPA regime had negotiated was to benefit “one businessman”, he said.
“The Congress Government when in power at the Centre had signed a contract with Dassault, and gave the contract to Hindustan Aeronautics ltd (HAl). The price the Government agreed to pay per aircraft was approximately Rs 520 Crores. After NDA government came to power, it changed the contract from 126 planes to 36 planes while changing the pricing structure from Rs 520 crores to Rs 1,600 crores and surprisingly cornering the Public Sector Enterprise HAl for biggest “Defense Offset Contract”, the contract was given to a private company,” Gohil said.
Replying to a query Gohil said in their seven years, the BJP-led NDA government failed to prove corruption in Bofors deal. It was a matter of pride when one army official in a statement gave credit of victory in ‘Kargil War’ to Bofors gun. In that bone chilling situation only Bofors gun worked, he had said, Gohil informed.