Government using armed forces to defend its decisions on Rafale deal: Congress
New Delhi, Sep 12 : The Congress on Wednesday accused the government of making the armed forces "pawn" in its political battle over the Rafale deal and said that it was not prepared to reveal the price at which the fighters jets have been purchased.
Congress Spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the party will not drag the services into the political arena after Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa asserted that the Rafale jets will power the Indian Air Force (IAF) to fight "grave threats" from Pakistan and China.
"It is most distressing, disgusting and deplorable that the government is putting forward our armed forces' persons like this. We respect them, be it the soldiers, be it the chief. In the political arena, I do not want to drag them despite the worst provocation," Singhvi said on Dhanoa's remarks.
He said that it was not appropriate to put the Army, Navy or Air Force chief to defend yourself (government).
"I do not know where your 56 inch chest has gone that you are putting these people in front," he said while taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Singhvi said that the Congress had made a straightforward political allegation on the deal in the last one year which the Modi government is unable to answer.
"I will deal with your Defence Minister, your Finance Minister, your Prime Minister. But I will not engage the service chief whom we respect. Do not make our service people pawns in this game," he said.
Singhvi accused the Modi government of seeking to derail the issue.
"The rules of the game are changed and an attempt has been made to mislead. Who has ever said that Rafale is not a good aircraft? In one year have we said so? Is it our case?" he asked.
Referring to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's remarks that the fighter jet purchased by the NDA government from France was nine per cent cheaper than that negotiated by the then UPA government in its basic cost whereas its weaponised version was 20 per cent cheaper, Singhvi said that the government should spell out the figures it was referring to while putting out such calculations.
"Common sense tells me that nine per cent or 20 per cent is less from some figure. Why don't you tell us that figure? A kindergarten student knows that 20 per cent or 9 per cent less has to have a figure from which it is less -- that they will never tell. So, there is no answer to our question -- it remains unanswered. The question is what is the price (of each Rafale jet)?"
"The question is -- why is there no manufacturing in India? Why is there no value addition under the offset? What happened to 'Make in India' initiative? These things will never be answered," he said.
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17,969 acres Wakf property encroached in Karnataka, mostly by Muslims: Minister Khan
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister for Wakf & Minority Welfare B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan told the Legislative Assembly on Monday that 17,969 acres of Wakf property have been encroached upon in the state, mostly by Muslims themselves.
The minister was responding to a question by Afzalpur Congress MLA M Y Patil during the Question Hour.
"Total Wakf property across the state is 1,12,860 acres, out of which only 20,054 acres is in our hands. As many as 17,969 acres have been encroached, 47,263 acres have gone under the Inam Abolition Act and 23,627 acres have gone under the Land Reforms Act," Khan said.
He said that after the Congress government came to power and he became the department's minister, Wakf Adalats were held across the state aimed at removing encroachments.
Noting that 1,12,860 acres of Wakf land were given not by the government, but by private individuals and organisations for the welfare of the community, the minister said encroachments on Wakf property are mostly by the Muslim community itself, not by temples or other communities.
"Encroachments on Wakf land are not by others, they are done by Muslims themselves. Wakf Adalats were held to remove those encroachments, but the BJP made it an issue," he said, adding that encroachment issues are being resolved.
Leader of Opposition R Ashoka intervened and said the BJP's objections were not about removing encroachments by Muslims on Wakf land, but about farmers' land, land belonging to schools such as the one studied by Bharat Ratna Sir M Visvesvaraya, and in some cases land belonging to temples, among others, being claimed as Wakf land.
The BJP is in fact in favour of an investigation into the encroachment of Wakf properties, he said.
Responding to this, the minister clarified that the government is not laying hands on any temples or educational institutions by claiming them as Wakf property.
"To identify encroachments by private people, mostly Muslims, Wakf Adalats were held," he added.
