Rafale; Moily accuses PM of playing with country's security

: Terming the Rafale jet deal as the 'scandal of the century', Congress MP and former Union Minister M Veerappa Moily Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of 'playing' with the country's securuty.

Addressing a press conference along with Rajya Sabha member K V P Ramachandra Rao here, he questioned why the Cabinet Committee on Security did not ratify the deal before it was signed with French company Dassault.

He said Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had no business to continue in office as she had compromised the 'defence integrity' of the country.

"We will undertake a series of agitation programmes across the country to expose the biggest scandal of the century," Moily said.

 

He alleged that only the Prime Minister and Anil Ambani were privy to deal when it was signed in 2015.

Anil Ambani registered a company just 12 days prior to signing of the Rafale deal and had 'zero experience' in dealing with defence systems, he alleged.

"It's an open dacoity of the country's security that had never taken place before.

Don't know if the then Defence Minister Manohar Parikkar was taken into confidence as the Prime Minister signed the deal on his own. Even the Indian Air Force didnt know about it," Moily claimed.

"The prime minister is playing with the defence and security of the country," he alleged.

To a question on Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitleys assertion that Dassault offered the full-weaponised jets at 20 per cent lesser cost than was negotiated in 2007 (during the UPA regime), Moily remarked that Jaitley was 'defending a case that is defenceless'.

"It's only about the price and transparency. Price of the deal has been doubled. Bofors deal was only Rs 60 crore.. Peanuts... Rafale is Rs 41,000 crore,"the AICC leader alleged.

He said the Congress was now taking the issue to the people's court as the Prime Minister did not want it raised in Parliament.

On September 12, Congress cadres in all districts would submit memoranda to the respective District Collectors to be forwarded to the President and on September 24, the state Congress would submit a petition to the Governor," he added.