Modi government must come clean on defence deals: Congress
New Delhi, Sep 5 : The Congress on Wednesday demanded that the Narendra Modi-led government clear its "doublespeak" on its defence deals and asked why it did not apply the same principle in the Rafale deal with France as it did with the AK-103 assault rifles deal with Russia.
It said the government had turned down the Russian proposal to make a private Indian entity its partner for the joint manufacture.
The party said the "trigger of Modi government's AK-47 deal with Russia has backfired for the Rafale 'scam' and made it more murkier".
"A fallacious argument of the Modi government on the Rafale scam has been nipped in the bud, by its own recent negotiations in another defence deal, which is the AK-rifle deal with Russia," said Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi.
"That the Rafale deal was a government-to-government agreement and the Modi government had absolutely no role in facilitating the Rs 30,000 crore offset contract," he added.
Citing media reports, Singhvi said it has been revealed that Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has reportedly turned down a Russian request to make another private Indian entity (Adani Group) its partner for the joint manufacture of Rs 3,000 crore worth of AK-103 assault rifles for the Indian Army.
"Modi government has reportedly advised Russia that its firm Kalashnikov Concern should tie up with the state-run Ordnance Factory Board if it wants its proposal to manufacture the AK-103 assault rifles in India to be considered by the Defence Ministry," said Singhvi.
"Why did it not apply the same principle in the Rafale deal? Why did the government not advise Dassault Aviation to negotiate further with government-run HAL?" asked Singhvi.
He added: "It has also been revealed that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) reportedly shot down Kalashnikov Concern's proposal for a joint venture with the private Indian entity - which has recently entered the defence sector, to produce the 7.62x39 mm calibre AK-103 gun, which are a derivative of the iconic AK-47 rifle."
The party said the MoD last month said that if the Russians wanted to partner with a private Indian entity, they must come through the 'tender route'.
"Since the government has virtually given up 'Make in India' in defence, by only getting an investment of Rs 1 crore till now, it is imperative for them to clear the air on the same. The nation is waiting for a clear answer on this doublespeak," Singhvi said.
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KSRTC to run 1000 special services to clear Christmas rush
Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation will operate 1000 additional special services in view of the Christmas festival.
In addition to the existing schedule, the special services will run on 19.12.2025, 20.12.2025 and 24.12.2025. Further, special buses will be operated from various places of intra & Interstate places to Bengaluru on 26.12.2025 & 28.12.2025.
Special buses will be exclusively operated from Bengaluru Kempegowda Bus Station to Dharmastala, Kukkesubramanya, Shivamogga, Hassan, Mangaluru, Kundapura, Shringeri, Horanadu, Davangere, Hubbali, Dharwad, Belagavi, Vijayapura, Gokarna, Sirsi, Karwar, Raichur, Kalaburagi, Ballari, Koppala, Yadgir, Bidar, Tirupathi, Vijayawada, Hyderabad and other places.
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Special buses from Mysuru Road Bus Station will be exclusively operated towards Mysuru, Hunsur, Piriyapatna, Virajpet, Kushalanagar, Madikeri.
The corporation has also announced a discount of 5 per cent on the fare if four or more passengers book tickets under a single reservation. A discount of 10 per cent will be extended on return journey tickets if onward and return tickets are booked simultaneously.
In addition to the above, special buses will be operated from all Taluk/District Bus Stands in the jurisdiction of KSRTC based on the traffic needs.
