Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday again asserted that there was no scam in the Rafale deal with France as being alleged by Congress and said disclosure of specifics about it could reveal the aircraft’s capabilities to the country’s rivals.
There was no scam in the four-year old NDA Government, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and therefore the Congress was coming up with such allegations, she told reporters here.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi had been taking frequent potshots over the Modi Government on the defence deal,alleging escalation of costs over that when UPA was in power.
The Opposition party has been demanding specific details in this regard.
Drawing the analogy of a car, Sitharaman said the same brand could cost a person more if the buyer wanted additional accessories and equipment fitted into it.
“These are accessories, additional fittings — he (Gandhi) just says disclose the price. If it is done so, it will reveal what kind of technology and equipment determined the price of the aircraft,” she said.
“Ordinary citizens may not be bothered about it, but forces inimical to us, countries, would have realised the extent of the (capabilities of) Rafale. So will that be our strength or weaknessIJ” she asked.
The Defence Minister said any disclosure by her in this regard may “satisfy” Gandhi “but also our rivals.”
Training her guns on the Congress for its charges on escalation of cost,Sitharaman asked how one can determine if a particular product was cheaper or costlier without buying it.
“If they had purchased (the flights), had Congress concluded the deal and said we bought so many flights at said rate and then claimed we had paid more, then it is reasonable. But they did not conclude the deal at all. When you didn’t buy (any aircraft), on what basis are you talking about additional costIJ” she asked.