In the midst of concealment allegations, National Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman explains the visit to the Rafale plant


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Paris:

In France, during a three-day visit, Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today refuted Congressional allegations that she was involved in a camouflage operation and claimed that the government did not participate in the choice of Reliance Defense of Anil Ambani as a partner of the joint venture. Burst case. It was the choice of the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), in this case Dassault, that they want as an offset partner, she said.

"There is a government-to-government agreement between the French and Indian governments, no name is mentioned and this compensation obligation may be mandatory, but the names of the company are not. not for me, "the minister told NDTV in Paris.

"Regarding the visit to Dassault, it's an invitation and I'm also a buyer, so I'd definitely see it," said Sitharaman, who is expected to visit in the Dassault unit, where Rafale fighter jets are manufactured for India. .

Congressional allegations regarding irregularities in the agreement have become more precise after a French media report said yesterday that the aerospace major had to select Anil Ambani's company. for the joint venture as a "mandatory" compromise to win the 59,000 crore deal.

Mediapart, which supported the initial claims of former French President Francois Hollande, said that an officer of Dassault, Loik Segalan, had explained to his aides during a presentation last year. that the joint venture with Reliance Defense was "imperative and mandatory".

Dassault challenged the Mediapart report, claiming that he had "freely chosen" to form a joint venture with Reliance.

The director of Dassault Aviation, Eric Trappier, told the AFP news agency that a joint plant with Reliance in Nagpur accounted for "about 10%" of some $ 4 billion worth of gold. compensated investments. "We are in talks with a hundred Indian companies, including thirty with whom we have already confirmed partnerships," he said.

Congress alleged huge irregularities in the agreement of 36 aircraft, claiming that the government was buying each plane at a cost above RS. 1,670 crore against Rs. The UPA government has finalized 526 million crores when negotiating the deal.

Hours after the report hit the headlines, Congressman Rahul Gandhi tweeted:

He also made allegations of corruption against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusations that prompted a strong reaction from the BJP.

Mr. Gandhi, said the BJP, was trying to get into politics by peddling lies as part of the agreement on the Rafale fighter jets, party spokesman Sambit Patra said.

Appellant Rajiv Gandhi – the former prime minister and Rahul Gandhi's father – "an official middleman in another agreement", Mr. Patra said: "Dassault has accepted compensation of 50%, it's mandatory it is a standard set by the Congress ".

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