Rafale Deal bigger than Bofors scam: Arun Shourie

Trouble for the Narendra Modi-led Union government is looming large, especially on the ‘Rafale Deal’. Calling the Rs 58,000 crore Rafale deal ‘a textbook case of criminal misconduct’, two former Union ministers – Arun Shourie and Yashwant Sinha – have demanded a forensic audit of the entire deal by the government’s top auditor. Along with Swaraj Abhiyan leader Prashant Bhushan, the duo has referred this deal as India’s biggest scam.

Speaking with the reporters, the three leaders were of the opinion that the deal with France for 36 Rafale fighter jets signed in 2016 is bigger than the Bofors scam. Arun Shourie said, “I can tell you as a person who handled the matter in regard to Bofors… that Bofors was absolutely nothing compared to this.” Shourie was comparing the 1986 Bofors Howitzer gun deal, which cost the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi his seat in the next 1989 general elections.

Shourie is the not the first one to allege that Rafale deal ‘is a scam’. Earlier Congress president Rahul Gandhi had in a series of statements attacked the Union government on this issue. He had also alleged that the government is trying to block attempts of journalists trying to report on the deal.

Gandhi in the Parliament too had attacked Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and accused her of lying to the country, which she rebutted and called it ‘absolutely wrong’. Sitharaman in her clarifications had said that ‘it (Rafale Deal) was agreement of secrecy’, which was also quoted by the French President Emmanuel Macron’s interviews to two media organisations, last month.

According to senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan, the Union government is hiding behind the secrecy clause. He is of the opinion that as soon as the details are out, the government will have no face value. Another allegation reiterated on Wednesday was crony capitalist arrangement. It is to be known that the deal would benefit Anil Ambani an offset contract of Rs 30,000 crore for the manufacture of aerospace components in India.

However, the allegations were quashed by the Ambani in the Dassault Aviation offset deal. Chief executive officer of Reliance Defence and Aerospace, Rajesh Dhingra, had termed this entire controversy as ‘a deliberate attempt to mislead’ the nation. He said, “The defence ministry has no role in selection of Indian partners by foreign vendors. This has been position right from 2005 when offsets were first introduced. In more than 50 offset contracts signed till date, the same process has been followed. Therefore, it is a deliberate attempt to mislead.”

Though the Reliance Defence and Aerospace and Union government are trying to cover up the issue, Congress is not in a mood to back down as 2019 Lok Sabha elections are just round the corner. It would be interesting to see how the controversy unfolds.