To bag defence contracts be 'defaulter of Rs 45,000 cr': Rahul Gandhi mocks Narendra Modi govt over Rafale deal

New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi Wednesday took a swipe at the Modi government and Anil Ambani over the Rafale issue, saying that in order to bag India’s biggest defence contracts one has to be a “defaulter of Rs 45,000 crore” and have “no relevant experience”.

The Opposition led by the Congress has been accusing the government of benefitting Ambani’s Reliance Defence Ltd. from the Rafale deal.

“Modi’s Operandi for handing out India’s biggest defence contracts - Be a defaulter of Rs 45,000 crore - Owe money to other companies who beg Supreme Court not to let you leave India - Be called ‘Bhai’ by Modi but have no relevant experience,” Gandhi said in a tweet.

He also cited a media report claiming that Swedish telecom equipment company Ericsson has petitioned the Supreme Court to prevent Ambani and two senior executives from his group from leaving the country after accusing them of willfully defaulting in previously promised payment of Rs 550 crore by alleged abuse of process of law.

In a statement on Tuesday, Reliance Communications Limited termed Ericsson’s filing as “unwarranted”. Reliance Communications said it has already filed an application on 28 September in the Supreme Court, praying for extension of time for making payment to Ericsson by 60 days.

The Rafale controversy took a new turn in September after Francois Hollande, who was French president when the Rs 58,000 crore deal was announced, was quoted as saying by French publication Mediapart that France was given “no choice” on selection of the Indian partner for Dassault Aviation, the manufacturer of Rafale jets

“The Indian government proposed the name of Reliance as offset partner for the French aerospace giant,” he said.

The BJP and Reliance Defence have dismissed all the allegations made by the Opposition on the Rafale issue as false.

Modi had announced the procurement of 36 Rafale fighters after holding talks with Hollande on 10 April, 2015, in Paris.