Nirmala denies Rafale deal snatched jobs from HAL, slams Cong for falsehood

It was the Congress which did not buttress the Defence public sector unit, says Sitharaman

Terming the Congress charges false and based on half-truths, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has denied that the Rafale deal had snatched jobs from the Indian aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL).

"There is no truth in the Congress allegations on the Rafale deal as they are based on falsehood and half-truths. The question of taking away jobs from HAL does not arise as the UPA government had no deal with its maker Dassault Aviation," Sitharaman told reporters here on Sunday.

Accusing the previous Congress-led UPA government of ignoring the needs of the Indian Air Force (IAF) whose squadron strength has depleted to