P Chidambaram targets on PM Modi for calling Rafale bargain a 'crisis buy'

New Delhi, Sep 1 Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram on Saturday stepped up attack against the Center over the Rafale bargain, and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to clarify the explanation for naming the prominent resistance bargain a "emergency purchase".

Addressing the media, Chidambaram stated, "People are asking what this aircraft is? Not one has arrived in this nation so far. What is this emergency purchase? Have you been in an emergency buy with a delivery date seven years later? You called it 'emergency buy'. Prime Minister on April 2015 said that we are purchasing 36 air ship of the racks however until today not in any case one air ship have touched base in India. The principal air ship will come at some point in September 2019. Also, the remainder of the 36 air ship is relied upon to drop constantly 2022. Presently, what is the emergency project?"

Chidambaram claimed that Prime Minister Modi on April 10, 2015 had called the buy of 36 Rafale air ships a 'crisis off-the-shelf' deal.

Proceeding with his tirade against Prime Minister Modi and Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the Congress leader stated, "The nation needed to know what is the cost of every aircraft? Until today, the Government of India has declined to uncover the cost."

Chidambaram further said that the Prime Minister should disclose to the country, why the cost of the Rafale flying machine was expanded by three times.

"According to the information in public domain, it is three times the cost consulted by the UPA government from Rs 526 crore for every flying machine to Rs 1, 670 crores for every air ship. It would be ideal if you clarify why the cost is expanded by three times," he expressed.

The Rafale jet was picked in 2012. India at first planned to purchase 18 off-the-shelf jets from France, with 108 others to be assembled in the nation by the state-run plane-maker Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.

Afterward, the Bharatiya Janata Party-drove government rejected the UPA's plan in 2015 and announced that it would purchase 36 "ready to-fly" Rafale jets as opposed to looking for an innovation exchange from France's Dassault Aviation and making the air ship in India.

The Congress party has for quite some time been focusing on the administration, asserting them of paying considerably more per stream than the arrangement they had consented to. On August 18, Congress President Rahul Gandhi had constituted a six-part team to investigate the asserted trick.

The Congress is also set to make the Rafale deal one of their primary agendas for the 2019 general election campaign. They are holding area insightful challenges and leading no less than 100 question and answer sessions to contact the overall population and make them aware of the deal.