Sitharaman lied on Rafale deal, PM compromised national interest: Congress
New Delhi, July 27 : Taking a sharp dig at the Narendra Modi government, the Congress party on Friday accused Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman of "lying" on Reliance Defence Limited, which it said didn't have the experience in manufacturing fighter jets, having secured an offset contract from Dassault Aviation for Rs.30,000 crore and a consequent ‘Lifecycle Cost Contract of Rs. 1 lakh crore in the Rafale deal.
Stressing that national interest was being compromised by the prime minister and the defence minister, Congress demanded that Modi must break his silence and reply to the nation if he represented the interest of private companies and industrial houses.
"Defence Offset Contract went to Reliance Defence Ltd, which had zero experience of manufacturing fighter aircrafts. Reliance Defence Limited had been constituted 12 days before (March 28, 2015) the announcement of purchase of 36 Rafale aircrafts by PM Modi in France on April 10, 2015," alleged Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala citing a ministry of corporate affairs MCA services master data.
The party also alleged that Reliance Aerostructure Limited was given the license to manufacture fighter aircrafts by the Defence Ministry but it did not own any land or building on the date of the license, which is February 22, 2016.
"What is even more surprising is the fact that even Reliance Aerostructure Limited was incorporated on April 24, 2015, which is 14 days after the announcement of purchase of 36 Rafale aircrafts by the prime minister," he added.
"Culture of crony capitalism is the DNA of Modi government. It is truer than ever in case of Rs 60,145 crore Rafale Deal," Surjewala said.
Citing a press release by Reliance Defence Limited and Reliance Infrastructure Investors Presentation, Surjewala said that Reliance Defence Limited claimed "to have secured the offset contract from Dassault Aviation for Rs.30,000 crore and a consequent ‘Lifecycle Cost Contract' of Rs 1 lakh crore over 50 years."
The leader also cited Dassault Aviation's Annual Report of 2016-17 which claimed that ‘offset contract' was being executed by Reliance.
"On the contrary, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has claimed in a PIB press release dated February 7, 2018 that the ‘offset contract has not been awarded by Dassault Aviation," Surjewala said.
The PIB release stated: "No Indian Offset partner for the 2016 deal for 36 Rafale Aircraft has been so far selected by the vendor (DA)...".
Surjewala asked: "Who is lying? Defence Minister or Reliance/Dassault Aviation?"
He further said: "Can Reliance and Dassault Aviation sign an ‘offset contract' of Rs.30,000 crore without the approval of the Defence Minister?"
Surjewala said that "absence of approval for defence offset contract to Reliance Defence Ltd from the Defence Minister and Acquisition Manager of defence ministry and Defence Acquisition Council is in complete violation of contract guidelines."
He said that the public Sector Undertaking, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), had signed a Rs 36,000 crore offset contract in shape of a ‘Workshare Agreement' dated March 13, 2014. "Once Modi unilaterally announced an ‘off-the-shelf' purchase of 36 Rafale aircrafts in April, 2015, HAL was suddenly denied the biggest ever Defence Offset Contract," Surjewala added.
He also said art of deceiving India is the Modi government's mantra in this "mother of all defence deals."
He said that "conspiracy, deception and loss to public exchequer have marred the unilateral purchase of 36 Rafale aircrafts by the government."
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Delhi: Father, son held for killing 19-year-old woman in suspected honour killing
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has arrested a man and his son for allegedly murdering his 19-year-old daughter in west Delhi's Hari Nagar area, an official said on Friday.
The case first came to light on April 1 after a PCR call was received around 2 pm, alleging that a woman had been killed by her family members and her body was being taken for last rites, he said.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Maneer (55), a vegetable vendor, and his son Meraj Ali (19), were arrested in connection with the case, the officer said.
The victim had been in a relationship with a man from her native place for the past two years, which was opposed by her father, Maneer and brother Meraj, he said.
"When the girl did not end the relationship despite objections, the family killed her," the officer said.
On April 1, the police said that when their team reached the spot, they found that the woman's body was being taken for burial.
Acting on the input, the burial process was stopped over suspicion of honour killing.
"Police intercepted the family members and took possession of the body," he said.
Police said that the man who had made the PCR told them that the woman was in love with his cousin.
During the inquiry, police also interacted with the PCR caller, who said his cousin, a friend of the deceased, had informed him about the situation and suspected foul play, prompting him to alert the police control room.
The body of the woman was subsequently shifted to the mortuary of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for preservation and postmortem.
Police said that both the crime team and the forensic science laboratory (FSL) team were called to inspect the scene and collect evidence.
Police said that, as per the postmortem report, the cause of death was identified as smothering, indicating that the woman was suffocated.
A preliminary inquiry also revealed that the family had initiated preparations for the last rites soon after the woman's death, raising suspicion about the circumstances.
Initial investigation pointed to the family's opposition to the woman's relationship.
"The family members of the woman saw her with the man, and she was taken back home. We got to know that she was beaten up and even locked inside the house for some days," a source said.
Further investigation into the matter is underway, police added.
