ABP NEWS EXCLUSIVE: 'Rafale aircrafts were purchased at rates lesser than UPA' say Govt sources

“In September 2016, both Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian signed on the deal and ahead of that a green signal was given to the deal in a CCS meeting".

New Delhi: Two days after Congress President Rahul Gandhi raised 3 questions to the government over its Rafale deal with France, where he raised suspicion over PM Modi’s silence; ABP News has sought the answers for Gandhi’s questions from its sources inside the government. Rahul’s first question on Rafale- Did you change contract by going to Paris? As per the government sources, when PM Modi went to Paris in April 2015, he proposed a deal with the government for purchase of 26  Rafale aircrafts considering the need. At that time both countries agreed on the deal and signed MoU or MoI. But, at that time neither prices nor discussion on weapons took place. Rahul’s second question- Did you seek permission from Cabinet Committee on security? On this the government sources said that “In September 2016, both Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian signed on the deal and ahead of that a green signal was given to the deal in a CCS meeting. Rahul’s third question-For how much price was aircraft purchased? As per the government, it cannot reveal the details of the prices because of the deal it had with France in 2008. The government further said that the cost of one Rafale is Rs 610 crores, which is around 75 to 100 crore less than what UPA paid for the same. As per the sources, the Rafale aircrafts purchased by NDA are way better in quality than the aircrafts purchased during NDA rule, as these are of next generation.