#RafaleDeal: Report says Reliance was 'mandatory' for Dassault, French-company denies
In the ongoing controversy over Rafale Deal signed between India and France, a French media investigative journal Mediapart has found choosing Reliance was 'mandatory' for Dassault, but the company has dismissed the claims. According to Dassault Aviation's internal document, the firm saw signing Anil Ambani's company 'imperative and mandatory' to bag the deal of 36 Rafale Jets, which India is purchasing. Here's more.
Context: The purchase of Rafale blew into a political controversy
Former French President Francois Hollande, under whose leadership the deal was inked, in an interview, claimed Reliance Defence was 'imposed' on them, a charge the Prime Minister Narendra Modi led Centre denied. Hollande, himself is facing crony capitalism charges in his country, and his successor Emmanuel Macron said he didn't know about the allegations. In India, Congress claims BJP favored Ambani and alleges corruption.
Investigative portal highlights presentation given by Dassault official
In its report, Mediapart detailed a presentation by Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Dassault Loïk Segalen in which he explained to the staff why setting up a plant with Reliance Defence in Nagpur was a rational decision. The joint venture was described as 'contrepartie' by Segalen. Segalen on May 11, 2017, had reportedly said it was a compensation to get the contract.
After report, Dassault says it chose Reliance 'freely'
Just as the report's findings gained momentum, Dassault released a statement saying it had chosen Reliance 'freely'. It said jets have been sold to India 'within the framework of September 2016 Inter-government agreement between India and France'. Dassault further said, Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited (DRAL) was created on February 10, 2017, hinting the document cited by Mediapart isn't valid.
Further, Dassault says negotiations with hundred others are ongoing
"This joint-venture, Dassault Reliance Aerospace Ltd (DRAL), was created February 10, 2017. Other partnerships have been signed with other companies such as BTSL, DEFSYS, Kinetic, Mahindra, Maini, SAMTEL. Other negotiations are ongoing with hundred-odd other potential partners," the press release of Dassault read.
Separately, the Supreme Court has asked Centre to furnish details
Hearing a PIL filed by lawyer Vineet Dhanda, the Supreme Court on Wednesday asked Modi government to furnish details about the deal, detailing all steps taken till signing. Notably, the court hasn't sent any notice to the Centre. Another PIL filed by Advocate M L Sharma earlier alleged discrepancies in the Rafale deal, and sought a stay order on it by the Supreme Court.
