Why is government silent on Rafale price, asks Rahul
Amethi, Sep 25 : Continuing his attack on the Rafale deal, Congress President on Tuesday questioned the government's silence on the demand for disclosing the price of the fighter jets being bought from France.
"We have asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Defence Minister what is the price of the aircraft. The Defence Minister says she will not let the youth of Hindustan know the price. The Defence Minister told us that there is a secret pact between India and France (not to disclose the price)," he told reporters on the second day of his visit to his constituency.
He said he raked up the issue with visiting French President Emmanuel Macron and asked him if there was a secrecy pact between the two governments not to disclose the details.
"Again they (Indian government) tell us that we cannot reveal the price of the Rafale aircraft but Macron told me there is nothing as such. If the Indian government wants to reveal the price of the Rafale aircraft, they can," the Congress chief said.
"First, the question is why did the Defence Minister lie? Then suddenly you get the price of the aircraft Rs 526 crore versus Rs 1,600 crore. Even other countries have bought Rafale aircraft but not for Rs 1,600 crore," he said.
Referring to the offset agreement between French manufacturer Dassault and an Indian private firm, Gandhi said for 70 years HAL has been making aircraft while the private firm had not made any aircraft.
Making a reference to the deal signed between the two governments headed by Modi and former French President Francois Hollande, he said (French) journalists had asked Hollande as to who gave the deal to the private firm -- whether it was Modi, the French government or Dassault.
"Hollande told them... No. The decision was taken by Prime Minister Modi. This is the truth," Gandhi said.
"He (Modi) always says that he wants to be the 'chowkidar' of the nation, not the Prime Minister. But he has given away the money belonging to the people of the country to a private firm."
Gandhi said when he raised questions on these issues in the Lok Sabha, there was no answer from Modi. "This is the truth and ... more will come out on Rafale."
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Pvt bus operators demand immediate hike in payment rates for buses requisitioned by EC
Kolkata (PTI): A representative body of private bus operators in West Bengal on Tuesday demanded an immediate announcement of higher payment rates for requisitioned vehicles to be deployed during the assembly elections next month, alleging that repeated appeals to the Election Commission in this regard have been ignored.
In a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer, the Joint Council of Bus Syndicate said that despite two rounds of communication with the authorities, no decision has yet been conveyed to them for hiking the rates for acquiring buses and minibuses for poll duty.
Even after two letters to the CEO’s office regarding the fare for the acquisition of buses/minibuses for elections, the operators have not received any decision so far, Syndicate Secretary Tapan Banerjee told PTI.
“The election dates have been announced for April 23 and 29. Central forces have already arrived in the state, and the administration has begun to requisition the buses for their movement. But we are yet to know the EC’s response to our demands,” he said.
“As we have to bear the expenses of fuel and wages of our conductors and drivers, our demand must be addressed immediately,” Banerjee added.
The bus operators have placed a detailed set of demands, including revised daily rates excluding fuel costs. “We demand Rs 4,000 per day (excluding diesel) for ordinary buses, Rs 4,500 for express buses, and Rs 5,500 for AC buses,” the letter stated.
In addition, the union has sought a daily allowance for workers.
“A daily allowance of Rs 500 must be provided to workers on duty,” it said.
The letter also stressed payment terms, demanding advance compensation and timely settlement of dues.
“At least 75 per cent of the payment should be made in advance, and the remaining amount must be cleared within 15 days of bill submission,” the union said.
Raising concerns about workers’ voting rights, the union further stated, “Arrangements for postal ballots must be ensured for workers on duty so that no worker is deprived of voting.”
Among other logistical concerns, the union demanded that a bus from one district should not be deployed in another.
