Government to table CAG report on Rafale in Parliament tomorrow
The government is scheduled to table the CAG report on Rafale jet fighter deal, which has generated a massive political controversy, in Parliament tomorrow, sources said. The government's decision to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets from French company Dassault has become a controversial political issue, with the main opposition party Congress leveling allegations of corruption and impropriety on BJP. Read the details here.
Tomorrow will be the second last day of 16th LS-session
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report will be tabled on Tuesday, a day before the end of the present Lok Sabha session. This is the last session of the 16th Lok Sabha as the general elections are due in April-May.
CAG Rajiv Mehrishi should excuse himself from auditing deal: Sibal
Former minister and senior Congress-leader Kapil Sibal yesterday alleged conflict of interest and asked the CAG Rajiv Mehrishi to excuse himself from auditing the deal as he was the finance secretary when the deal was negotiated. Union Minister Arun Jaitley, in a series of tweets, rebutted the claims of Sibal saying the Congress was casting aspersions on the institution of CAG based on "falsehood".
Jaitley called the Congress 'Institution wreckers' in a tweet
The finance minister took a jibe at former UPA ministers
Rafale deal happened under Mehrishi, Sibal claims
Sibal said Rajiv Mehrishi was the finance secretary from October 24, 2014-August 30, 2015 and, in between, Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to Paris on April 10, 2015 and announced the signing of the Rafale deal. "...Finance Ministry plays an important role in these negotiations...Now it is clear that the Rafale deal happened under Rajiv Mehrishi. Now he is CAG," Sibal had said.
RaGa still accuses PM Modi of benefiting industrialist Anil Ambani
Sibal further said, "We told him (Mehrishi) about the scam. We told him that the deal should be probed because it is corrupt. But how can he initiate a probe against himself." The Rafale issue was even raised before the SC, which did not find any substance in the allegations. However, Congress President Rahul Gandhi still accuse PM Modi of benefiting industrialist Anil Ambani.
