Parliament highlights: Govt harming HAL to benefit Anil Ambani, says Rahul

BJP and Congress issued three-line whips for party parliamentarians to be present in Lok Sabha today. Here are LIVE updates from the Parliament session

3:57 PM

Gandhi also accused Modi of doing "bypass surgery" on the Rafale deal and said Sitharaman should give a "yes" or "no" answer to his question. "I am asking Prime Minister and Defence Minister: Did officials of Air Force, Defence Ministry say that Narendra Modi had interfered in the deal," he said. 

3:57 PM

Modi govt paid Dassault, but didn't pay HAL: Rahul Gandhi 

 

Rahul Gandhi said the Modi government had given Dassault Aviation Rs 20,000 crore though they had not delivered a single Rafale aircraft but HAL, which had delivered on its orders including helicopters, was awaiting payment of Rs 15,700 crore. He accused the government of trying to wreck HAL. (Read more here) 

3:56 PM

Sitharaman spoke 'a clear lie' in Parliament: Rahul Gandhi

 

"She spoke a clear lie in Parliament. Contracts of Rs 26,570 crore have been given to HAL. Remarks that more contracts of Rs 73,000 crore have been given is a total sham," Gandhi told reporters in Parliament House complex. (Read more here) 

3:55 PM

Sitharaman is Modi's 'spokesperson': Rahul Gandhi

 

Describing Sitharaman as a "spokesperson of Narendra Modi", he said only contracts worth Rs 26,570 crore have been given to the public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd and not Rs 1 trillion "as stated" by the Minister while replying to a debate in the Lok Sabha last week on the deal to purchase fighter jets from France. (Read more here) 

3:54 PM

Rahul Gandhi challenges Modi for debate on Rafale

 

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday accused Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman of "lying" about the contracts given to HAL and challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a debate on the Rafale deal. (Read more here) 

3:41 PM

Sitharaman's response comes after Gandhi alleged that the Defence Minister must either place documents before Parliament to prove her claim that the Modi government has given Rs 1 trillion worth of orders to defence PSU HAL or resign. Two days after Sitharaman made the claims in the Lok Sabha , Gandhi took to Twitter to question her claims, tagging a media report that said "no actual order has been placed". 

3:41 PM

Sitharaman lists out orders given to HAL

 

"I had specifically mentioned that there are 83 LCA Tejas fighters ordered worth Rs 50,000 crore, 15 combat helicopters worth Rs 3,000 crore, 200 more helicopters worth Rs 20,000 crore, 19 Dornier transport aircraft worth Rs 3,400 crore, helicopters worth Rs 15,000 crore, and aero-engines worth Rs 8,400 crore. All of them put together amount to Rs 1 lakh crore (Rs 1 trillion)," she added. (Read more here)

 

Placing documents related to those orders on the floor, Sitharaman said they "clearly confirm the correctness of my statement made on the floor of this House and (prove that) the doubts raised in this regard are incorrect and misleading". 

3:41 PM

HAL got Rs 26,570.80-cr contracts, Rs 73,000-cr orders in pipeline: Sitharaman

 

In a suo motu statement in the Lok Sabha, Sitharaman clarified that she had received confirmation from HAL that during 2014 to 2018, contracts amounting to Rs 26,570.80 crore had been signed with the public sector company and orders worth approximately Rs 73,000 crore were in the pipeline. (Read more here) 

 

"Doubts are being raised on my statement made on the floor of the House on January 4 regarding procurement orders in the pipeline for HAL... I would like to set all doubts to rest by adding that I have received confirmation from HAL that during 2014-2018, contracts amounting to Rs 26,570.80 crore have already been signed with HAL and orders approximately of Rs 73,000 crore are in the pipeline," she said without naming Gandhi. 

3:39 PM

Doubts raised on my statement misleading, incorrect: Sitharaman

 

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday attacked Congress President Rahul Gandhi for raising "incorrect and misleading" doubts regarding her statement in Parliament after the latter challenged her to prove her claim that the Centre gave Rs 1 trillion worth of orders to defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) or resign. (Read more here) 

3:28 PM

Amid the din, the Lok Sabha gave its nod to the amendments passed by the Rajya Sabha to 'Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill, 2018', and 'National Council for Teacher Education (Amendment) Bill, 2018'.  (Read more here) 

3:24 PM

2:45 PM

Lok Sabha was adjourned till 2.30 pm due to protests by Samajwadi Party and Congress members over a CBI probe against Akhilesh Yadav on alleged illegal mining and the Rafale issue respectively.

2:29 PM

At the time the Speaker was adjourning proceedings, Sivaprasad switched on an audio device that played a famous Tamil film song of MGR, who was also a cine actor.

2:27 PM

Ahead of the General elections this year, the government has announced 10% reservation in jobs for those belonging to the upper castes and earning less than Rs 8 lakh per year.

2:25 PM

Govt did not pay HAL for delivered products, but paid Dassault: Ahmed Patel

 

Stepping up the Congress's attack on the Centre over HAL's reported cash crunch, senior party leader Ahmed Patel on Monday alleged that the government had not paid the aerospace major for delivered products, but paid foreign vendors like Dassault for products yet to be delivered.

 

The Congress and the BJP-led NDA government are involved in a war of words over the financial condition of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

 

"Very disturbing that Government has not paid HAL for products that have been delivered but paid foreign vendors like Dassault for products that are not yet delivered!," Patel said in a tweet.

 

"As a result HAL is a broke & is borrowing money to pay salaries. Is this Make in India? (sic)," he said.