Responding to a question on who selected Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence Industries as a partner in the Rafale deal and why, ex-French President Francois Hollande reportedly said it was the Indian government that proposed the name

Reacting to these reports, MoD issued a statement saying "It is reiterated that neither Government of India nor French government had any say in the commercial decision"

NEW DELHI: A French journalist on Friday claimed that former French President Francois Hollande has reportedly said in an interview that Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence Industries was selected as the local partner of Dassault Aviation for Rafale fighter jets because its name was proposed by India.

According to French newspaper Le Monde journalist Julien Boissou, Hollande's comments came in an interview published by French journal Mediapart.

Responding to a question on who selected Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence Industries as a partner and why, Hollande reportedly said it was the Indian government that proposed the name of Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence Industries and Dassault had no choice but to take the company given to it.

"We did not have a say in that. The Indian government proposed this service group, and Dassault negotiated with Anil Ambani. We did not have a choice, we took the interlocutor we were given," said Hollande.

The interview was published in French and excerpts of Hollande's interview were tweeted by the French journalist.
Hollande's reported statement contradicts Indian government's stand that the agreement between Dassault and Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence Industries was a commercial pact between two private parties and the government had nothing to do with it.

Reacting to the development, the defence ministry said that the report is being verified.

"The report referring to former French president Hollande's statement that GOI insisted upon a particular firm as offset partner for the Dassault Aviation in Rafale is being verified. It is reiterated that neither GoI nor French Govt had any say in the commercial decision," the defence spokesperson said in a tweet.

Anil Ambani has denied allegations of his Group lacking experience to get the Rafale fighter jet deal and has said that the government had no role in French Group Dassault picking up his company as a local partner.

In a two-page letter written on December 12, 2017, Ambani had explained to Rahul Gandhi why his Reliance Defence Industries bagged the multi-billion dollar project.

Ambani had said that the Congress has been "misinformed, misdirected and misled" by "malicious vested interests and corporate rivals" on the issue.

The Congress has been accusing the NDA-led government of wrongdoing in the Rafale deal , a claim which the government has strongly denied.

The reported claims of Hollande intensified the ongoing political battle, with Congress leaders quick to attack the government.

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