Rafale deal allegations shameful, a 'disservice' to armed forces: Nirmala Sitharaman

New Delhi: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Friday that allegations relating to the procurement deal for 36 Rafale fighter jet were “shameful” and that such bickering was a “disservice” to the armed forces. [caption id=“attachment_4199479” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Union defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman. PTI[/caption] Her remarks came a day after the Congress accused the prime minister of changing the “entire deal” to benefit a businessman. “These allegations are shameful… The deal was finalised following a transparent procedure,” Sitharaman told reporters. The defence minister also called the bickering against the deal as “disservice” to the armed forces, asserting that urgent requirement of the Indian Air Force was the main reason for sealing it. The defence minister said the final agreement for 36 Rafale jets was signed in September, 2016, after five rounds of lengthy discussions between Indian and French sides and approval by the Cabinet Committee on Security. She said the UPA government had sat over the proposed procurement of jets for 10 years.