Rafale Deal: After SC verdict, Jaitley slams Congress; says deaf never receives answer

Hours after the SC said that there is no reason for the court to sit in judgement on the correctness of Rafale jet deal, Arun Jaitley criticised Congress for spreading falsehood.

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley criticised Congress for spreading falsehood. (Image: ANI)

Rafale Deal: Hours after the Supreme Court of India on Friday said that there is no reason for the court to sit in judgement on the correctness of the Rafale jet deal, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley criticised Congress for spreading falsehood. “Falsehood has a very short life. In this case, it was a few months. Falsehood lowers the credibility of its creator,” Jaitley said while addressing a press conference at the National Media Centre in New Delhi today. After the top court ruled that ‘perception by individuals cannot be the subject of roving inquiry" by the court,’ the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sought an apology from Congress and Rahul Gandhi for misleading the country on the jet issue. “Rafale Deal protected both security and commercial interest of India. Security interest because it increases combat ability of India, commercial interest because the final price was significantly lower both for aircraft and weaponised aircraft than what was negotiated in 2007 and 2012,” Jaitley added further. “All the figures by the govt are correct and all the figures by Mr Rahul Gandhi are false and I have justified it... The truth has only one version and falsehood has many. That is why Mr Rahul Gandhi quoted several figures,” Finance Minister said during the press conference.

FM: #RafaleDeal protected both security&commercial interest of India. Security interest because it increases combat ability of India, commercial interest because the final price was significantly lower both for aircraft&weaponised aircraft than what was negotiated in 2007 & 2012. pic.twitter.com/ARWkNnsb1m

— ANI (@ANI) December 14, 2018

Jaitley also questioned the UPA government for compromising national security in 2012. “It was ‘fiction writing’ under the UPA and that they didn't have special teams to oversee the different aspects of the Rafale deal,” Jaitley alleged. Jaitley also stressed the fact that the Supreme Court is satisfied with all the specifics of the Rafale Deal under the current BJP-led government. Further, in his speech, Jaitley also stated that the Centre cannot reveal the cost details of the deal in the backdrop of national security. “Judicial review has its limitations and the centre can't reveal cost details keeping national security in view.” However, the BJP leader mentioned that simple aircraft is 9 per cent cheaper as per 2016 prices. Weaponised aircraft is 20 per cent cheaper. On being asked if the Congress will get a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Rafale deal, Jaitley said, “The deaf will never receive an answer. They can't hear it.” The Congress party has accused BJP of scrapping a deal for 126 Rafale jets negotiated by the previous UPA government and kicking off a rather expensive new contract just to help Anil Ambani's defence company to gain an offset partnership with the France jet manufacturing company Dassault.