Former defence minister A.K. Antony broke his silence on Saturday by attacking Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar for compromising on national security and questioning the high-profile Rafale fighter jets deal Prime Minister Narendra Modi clinched with French President Francois Hollande last month.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi also chipped in by questioning delay in implementation of “One rank, One pension” scheme for ex-servicemen, cleared by the previous UPA.
“The present government has compromised our national security. The defence expenditure this year is the lowest in the recent years,” Antony said at an AICC briefing.
Antony, usually a reticent politician, also raised questions on the Rafale fighter jets deal. Prime Minister Modi during his visit to France in April had signed an agreement to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets in fly-away condition for over 6 billion US Dollars.
Questioning the Rafale deal, Antony wondered if “the finance ministry and the Defence Acquisition Council of the defence ministry were taken on board.” “Senior BJP leaders like Yashwant Sinha and Jaswant Singh had opposed the purchase of the French fighter jets during the UPA regime, finding fault on various parameters,” he said.
“Neither the prime minister, nor the defence minister or the armed forces can procure any equipment bypassing the Defence Acquisition Council,” he said. The former defence minister questioned if there was a clause on technology transfer as Modi had been stressing his ‘Make in India’ plan.
Targeting Parrikar, who had blamed Antony for sabotaging deal by making several notings on the file, Antony said he had taken “the correct decision keeping in mind the Indian Air Force’s plea for early acquisition of the fighter jet.”
“A weak man cannot safeguard national interests. We don’t want war, but should be in a position to protect our country,” Antony said even as he appealed the government to reconsider the decision.
Before Antony, Rahul targeted the government over delay in the “one rank one pension” scheme and said that while the previous UPA government had approved the plan, the NDA had failed to implement it.
“We had allotted money and also taken a decision. One year has passed and this should happen at the earliest. We will pressurise the government and ask them to take a decision at the earliest,” Rahul said after he heard a delegation of ex-servicemen.
Source: India Today
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi also chipped in by questioning delay in implementation of “One rank, One pension” scheme for ex-servicemen, cleared by the previous UPA.
“The present government has compromised our national security. The defence expenditure this year is the lowest in the recent years,” Antony said at an AICC briefing.
Antony, usually a reticent politician, also raised questions on the Rafale fighter jets deal. Prime Minister Modi during his visit to France in April had signed an agreement to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets in fly-away condition for over 6 billion US Dollars.
Questioning the Rafale deal, Antony wondered if “the finance ministry and the Defence Acquisition Council of the defence ministry were taken on board.” “Senior BJP leaders like Yashwant Sinha and Jaswant Singh had opposed the purchase of the French fighter jets during the UPA regime, finding fault on various parameters,” he said.
“Neither the prime minister, nor the defence minister or the armed forces can procure any equipment bypassing the Defence Acquisition Council,” he said. The former defence minister questioned if there was a clause on technology transfer as Modi had been stressing his ‘Make in India’ plan.
Targeting Parrikar, who had blamed Antony for sabotaging deal by making several notings on the file, Antony said he had taken “the correct decision keeping in mind the Indian Air Force’s plea for early acquisition of the fighter jet.”
“A weak man cannot safeguard national interests. We don’t want war, but should be in a position to protect our country,” Antony said even as he appealed the government to reconsider the decision.
Before Antony, Rahul targeted the government over delay in the “one rank one pension” scheme and said that while the previous UPA government had approved the plan, the NDA had failed to implement it.
“We had allotted money and also taken a decision. One year has passed and this should happen at the earliest. We will pressurise the government and ask them to take a decision at the earliest,” Rahul said after he heard a delegation of ex-servicemen.
Source: India Today
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