Rahul persists with Rafale attack on govt, alleges deal re-negotiated to benefit crony capitalists
New Delhi, Oct 18: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday attacked the Modi government over the Rafale deal alleging that it renegotiated the contract to benefit crony capitalists and reduced India's prestige globally.
In a Facebook post, Gandhi said due to the renegotiated deal India could not get transfer of technology as negotiated during the UPA rule and it was shameful that Indian pilots have to put their lives at risk flying the ancient Jaguar aircraft as the new technology did not come into the country.
He cited a media report to allege that instead of getting 126 Rafale aircraft together with transfer of technology that would have transformed the Indian Air Force, the NDA government re negotiated the deal to get only 36 aircraft made in France.
"Since 2014, instead of taking to closure deals that had been negotiated by the UPA Government, the present government has focussed on renegotiating those deals to benefit crony capitalists.
"For instance, the UPA's Rafale deal for 126 aircraft would have transformed the Indian Air Force allowing us to scrap and replace ancient aircraft like the Jaguar. It involved the transfer of technology to HAL which would have helped make us become more self reliant in the future. Instead, the deal was re-worked for Anil Ambani's benefit and reduced to just 36 aircraft - all made in France. These aircraft will take years to arrive in India," he claimed in his post.
Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group has denied the Congress' allegations in connection with deal.
Gandhi and his Congress party have been attacking the government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Rafale deal, alleging corruption and favouritism.
The Government has dismissed Rahul Gandhi's allegations, while the BJP has accused him of spreading lies on the issue.
The Congress chief alleged that India's pilots are forced to put their lives at risk each day, flying ancient Jaguars, that are kept in the air "using parts scrounged from junk yards in France and other parts of the world".
"Not only is this shameful, it reduces India's prestige globally and puts the lives of our pilots at risk," he said.
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Iran warns of ‘uncontrollable consequences’ after energy site strike
Qatar warns residents of ‘Elavated’ threat
Tehran/Doha: Iran’s President Massoud Pezeshkian has warned that attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure could lead to “uncontrollable consequences” affecting the entire world.
In a post on X, Pezeshkian said he “strongly condemns” the strikes that targeted the South Pars gasfield earlier in the day.
“Such aggressive actions will not achieve anything for the American Zionist enemy and their supporters. Rather, they will complicate the situation and could lead to uncontrollable consequences that will affect the entire world,” he said.
Meanwhile, Qatar’s Ministry of Interior has urged residents to remain indoors due to what it described as an elevated security threat.
Authorities have not provided further details, but the advisory comes amid growing concerns over the safety of energy infrastructure and civilian areas in the region.
