SHILLONG: All India Congress Committee spokesperson and a Lok Sabha MP from Assam, Gaurav Gogoi on Tuesday ripped apart the NDA Government at the Centre and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the alleged Rafale scam and claimed that in next year’s Lok Sabha elections, the people of the country would be on one side and Narendra Modi and Amit Shah would be on other side.
Addressing a Press conference here in the city on Tuesday, Gogoi said that Rafale Scam is a copy book case of squandering ‘national interests’, causing loss to public exchequer and promoting a culture of ‘crony capitalism’, at the cost of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).
He said that the per aircraft price of 126 Rafales as per the international bid opened on December 12, 2012, during UPA-Congress Government came to Rs 526.10 crore and at this price, 36 aircrafts would have cost Rs 18,940 Crore.
He slammed PM Modi over the issue saying in the year 2015, Narendra Modi announced emergency ‘off-the-shelf’ purchase of 36 Rafale aircrafts in Paris, France for Euro 7.5 Billion (Rs 1670.70 Cr per aircraft) i.e. Rs 60,145 Crore for 36 aircrafts.
This price is apparent from’ Annual Report, 2016′ of Dassault Aviation and from the press release of ‘Reliance Defence Limited,” he said while asking PM Modi explain as to why an extra amount of Rs 41,205 crore was paid from public money.
He also questioned as to why did PM Modi reduce the number of fighter aircrafts required for Indian Air Force from 126 to 36 even as he added that while PM Modi announced the purchase of 36 Rafale aircrafts on April 10, 2015, no mandatory prior approval of ‘Cabinet Committee on Security’ had been taken.
“Mandatory requirement of ‘Defence Procurement Procedure’ for ‘Price Discovery’ through the instrumentalities of ‘Contract Negotiation Committee’ (CNC) and ‘Price Negotiation Committee’ (PNC) were not followed by the PM,” Gogoi added.