Cong compromising on national security by demanding Rafale deal details, says Jaitley

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday defended the government's decision not to disclose the price of Rafale aircraft deal saying national security will be compromised if details of the deal are revealed.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday defended the government's decision not to disclose the price of Rafale aircraft deal saying national security will be compromised if details of the deal are revealed.

NEW DELHI: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday defended the government's decision not to disclose the price of Rafale aircraft deal saying national security will be compromised if details of the deal are revealed. Tearing into the Congress party, Jaitley said its new strategy is to manufacture corruption charges. "When you give details of a defence deal, you give the details and capacity of the weapon system, which you don't want to inform the enemy. Former defence ministers including Pranab Mukherjee and AK Antony have refused to give details of armament purchases," Jaitley said. He said security part is an inherent part of any deal. Jaitley was responding to Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of discrepancies in the Rafale deal in the Lok Sabha. He also accused the Congress of compromising India's security by insisting that the details are made public.

When you give details of a defence transaction, you give the details & capacity of the weapon system, which you don't want to inform the enemy. At least 15 previous RMs including Pranab Mukherjee & AK Antony have refused to give details of armament purchases: FM Shri @arunjaitley pic.twitter.com/7GDSnOLafq

— BJP (@BJP4India) February 8, 2018

Earlier on Thursday, Congress President Rahul Gandhi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not answering his questions on Rafale deal because there was something "fishy" in it. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, he said, had first announced that she would inform the nation about the cost of purchasing Rafale aircraft but was now saying she could not do so as it was a state secret. "Which of her two statements are correct," he asked. Gandhi said he had also posed three questions to Modi. These included the aircraft's cost and "handing over" the deal to a businessman after "snatching" it from a public undertaking. However, there was no reply, Gandhi said. "There can be only one answer and it is that there is something fishy about this," he said. Rahul has been continuously attacking the Centre over Rafale deal and even alleged a scam in purchasing of the aircraft from France. The Congress has been alleging that the Centre agreed to buy 36 Rafale aircrafts at inflated prices after Prime Minister Modi visited France. The party has also raised questions about a deal between a firm owned by Anil Ambani and Dassault, which makes the Rafale.