BJP leader Subramanian Swamy threatens to move court against Rafale deal

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Saturday threatened to go to court against the deal to buy Rafale fighter aircraft from France if the government does not heed to his warning.

Terming the deal “corrupt”, Swamy said it will bring bad name to the party. The senior BJP leader said no one in the world is buying the Rafale planes and in the past countries which signed an MoU to procure the aircraft have scrapped the deal.

“No one is buying the planes in the country. Dassault (Aviation- the company which manufactures the fighter jets) says if India does not buy these planes then they will wind up. Many counties like Switzerland signed an MoU, but later cancelled it,” Swamy said.

The senior BJP leader added that if the government wanted to please France, then it should have bought the company, which is anyway running into losses.

“If the government does not agree to this, then I have to go to the court. It is a corrupt deal and can spoil the name of the party.

“These babus (bureaucrats) are giving wrong advice to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The defence ministry’s opinion is also not this (to buy the planes).

Modi had on Friday said in Paris that India will buy 36 Rafale fighter jets in “fly-away” condition from France at the earliest by “keeping in view the critical operational necessity of fighter aircraft in India.”

Source:: Indian Express