Rahul's allegations 'absolutely wrong': Nirmala Sitharaman
New Delhi, July 20 : Terming Congress President Rahul Gandhi's allegations over the Rafale fighter jets deal with France as "absolutely wrong", Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the bilateral agreement was signed during the UPA time and carried a secrecy clause.
"On the secrecy clause...It is an agreement that was signed during the previous government on January 25, 2008. The agreement of secrecy, which is an umbrella agreement, was signed by then Defence Minister A.K. Antony," Sitharam said, flashing some papers in the House, purportedly a copy of the agreement.
"This agreement clearly mentions that under Article 10 of inter-governmental agreement (IGA) between India and France on the purchase of Rafale aircraft, the protection of classified information and materials exchanged under IGA shall be governed by the provisions of security agreements signed on January 25, 2008," she said.
Sitharaman was making an intervention after Rahul Gandhi attacked the government on the Rafale deal during the no confidence motion in the Lok Sabha and alleged that she had spoken "untruth" when she claimed that the Indian government could not reveal details of the deal due to a secrecy pact with France.
Referring to Gandhi's claim of a meeting with French President, Sitharaman said there was no proof of the said meeting but whatever she was saying could be double checked.
"The honorable MP (Rahul Gandhi) referred to a conversation between him and the French President. I don't know what transpired between the two. But I would like to say in one of the interviews to an Indian media House the French President has said: 'You have these commercial agreements and obviously you have competitors and we can't let them know the details of the deal'," she said.
"This can be checked. Whatever the Member (Gandhi) said, there is no record, no proof. He just threw it at me...absolutely wrong," she added.
India had signed a government-to-government deal with France in 2016 to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets at a cost of about Rs 58,000 crore.
The Congress has been demanding that its details be made public, claiming that the cost of each Rafale jet under the deal negotiated by the UPA government was much lower than that agreed upon by the Modi government in 2016.
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Change in name of state to Keralam, a joyful moment for Malayali brothers: PM Modi
Kochi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the change of name of the state from Kerala to Keralam by the Centre was a joyful moment for Malayali brothers.
The PM was speaking at the golden jubilee celebration of the Akhila Kerala Dheevara Sabha, an organisation that works for the welfare of the fishing community in the state.
In his inaugural address, Modi appreciated the role of the fishing community during the 2018 floods in Kerala, lauding their courage, service, and dedication at that time.
He also pointed out that the Dheevara Sabha has been working for fishermen's rights for 50 years.
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Modi said the Centre too has been working for the welfare of the fishing community and has carried out various initiatives to empower them.
He also said that the Union government has taken various measures, including installing over 4,500 satellite-based transponders in fishing boats, to ensure the safety of fishermen at sea.
Modi arrived at the Kochi international airport around 11.30 am and from there travelled by helicopter to the naval base here.
From there, he travelled by road to the Marine Drive for his first event of the day -- the golden jubilee celebrations of the Akhila Kerala Dheevara Sabha.
The PM arrived in poll-bound Kerala to take part in a series of programmes here, including the inauguration of the BJP-led NDA's election convention.
