Active Stocks
Thu Mar 28 2024 15:59:33
  1. Tata Steel share price
  2. 155.90 2.00%
  1. ICICI Bank share price
  2. 1,095.75 1.08%
  1. HDFC Bank share price
  2. 1,448.20 0.52%
  1. ITC share price
  2. 428.55 0.13%
  1. Power Grid Corporation Of India share price
  2. 277.05 2.21%
Business News/ Politics / Policy/  A.K. Antony questions Rafale deal with France
BackBack

A.K. Antony questions Rafale deal with France

Antony said the finance ministry had not supported the Rafale deal when he was defence minister

Antony says several opposition leaders and top BJP leaders such as Yashwant Sinha and Jaswant Singh had opposed the purchase of the French fighter jets during the UPA regime, finding fault on different counts. Photo: Hemant Mishra/MintPremium
Antony says several opposition leaders and top BJP leaders such as Yashwant Sinha and Jaswant Singh had opposed the purchase of the French fighter jets during the UPA regime, finding fault on different counts. Photo: Hemant Mishra/Mint

New Delhi: Former defence minister A.K. Antony on Saturday raised several questions over the Rafale fighter jet deal between India and France, wondering whether the finance ministry and defence acquisition council were taken on board while clinching the agreement.

He also said that several opposition leaders and top Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders such as Yashwant Sinha and Jaswant Singh had opposed the purchase of the French fighter jets during the UPA regime, finding fault on different counts.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to France last month had signed an agreement to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets in fly-away condition for more than $6 billion.

Antony said the finance ministry had not supported the Rafale deal when he was defence minister as a new concept of L-1 was introduced to arrive at the best aircraft available based on the life-cycle cost of the machine.

Stung by defence minister Manohar Parrikar’s reported remarks that he “killed" the deal by making several notings on the file, Antony insisted that he had taken the “correct" decision against the backdrop of the Indian Air Force’s plea for early acquisition of fighter jet.

Antony said he had told all concerned to continue with the negotiations, but not to take it with government for approval till the L-1 dispute is settled. During his tenure as defence minister, Antony said what was being sought to be achieved was acquisition of 18 aircraft in fly-away condition and 108 to be manufactured along with technology transfer agreement with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. The company was not ready to transfer technology as part of the agreement.

Antony insisted that neither the prime minister, nor the defence minister or the armed forces could procure any equipment bypassing the defence acquisition council. The Congress leader sought to know what was the decision on technology transfer arrived at by the Modi government, which has been emphasizing a lot on “Make in India".

The senior Congress party leader tore into government claims on defence preparedness, accusing it of committing the “anti-national act" of compromising the nation’s security by downsizing the Mountain Strike Corps on the Chinese border despite Beijing enjoying 3/1 superiority over New Delhi.

“A weak man cannot safeguard national interests. We don’t want war, but should be in a position to protect our country," he said appealing the government to reconsider the decision. PTI

Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!

Catch all the Politics News and Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.
More Less
Published: 23 May 2015, 11:04 PM IST
Next Story footLogo
Recommended For You
Switch to the Mint app for fast and personalized news - Get App