Rafale dogfight: Arun Jaitley, Rahul Gandhi trade charges over deal

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday wrote a Facebook blog, comprising 15 questions, challenging the Congress on accusations it has made on the Rafale deal

Jaitley: The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) suffered from decision-making paralysis. Wasn’t the decade-long delay... due to UPA’s incompetence and indecisiveness?

Opposition’s charges: There was no “decade-long delay”. From 2004 to 2007, the Indian Air Force (IAF) framed the fighter’s requirements; from 2007 to 2011, the IAF conducted flight tests and only in 2011 did the IAF select the Rafale and the Eurofighter. In 2012, the Rafale was found cheaper and price negotiations began with Dassault 

Jaitley: Did the UPA’s delay compromise national security, given the IAF’s urgent need for fighters?

Opposition’s charges: Why did the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) wait