On Francois Hollande’s allegations that the Indian government had recommended Reliance Defence as an offset partner, Sitharaman said the statement will have an impact on international relations

CHENNAI: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday refuted demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into inter-governmental agreement with France in 2016 to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets at a cost of Rs 58,000 crore and said that the former French president Francois Hollande’s allegations that the Indian government had recommended Reliance Defence as an offset partner could have an impact on international relations.

“Why should I order a probe. The statement is given in Parliament,” the defence minister told a press conference while answering a flurry of questions on the Rafale deal.This comes in the wake of Congress demanding a JPC probe into the deal.

On Francois Hollande’s allegations that the Indian government had recommended Reliance Defence as an offset partner, Sitharaman said the statement will have an impact on international relations.She also said the former president was facing an allegation that his associate had received funds for some purpose. “I am not in a position to elaborate on the allegations. In such a situation, he is saying this,” she said.

Hitting out at Congress president Rahul Gandhi, she said everything the former French president was to say was predicted by the Congress president.

On reports that a joint secretary-level officer in the Defence Ministry objected to the deal’s benchmark price and had written a dissent note that was overruled, Sitharaman said the same officer was a signatory to the final note on the agreement that was sent to the Cabinet.

Under the UPA’s deal, India would get 18 Rafale jets in a fly-away state while the remaining would be manufactured in the country by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).That deal was not completed by the UPA government. “There is now working agreement with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Dassault,” she said.

Under the offset rules, it is for the original equipment manufacturer (Dassault in this case) to decide whom it wants to partner within India for its offset obligations, she said.On the 2016 “surgical strikes”, she said such an action will deter Pakistan from training and sending terrorists.

“My action will continue at the border irrespective of whether they have learnt a lesson or not,” she said.

On the negotiation on the S-400 air defence systems, she said it was at a stage where it can be finalised. “We have a big legacy of buying defence equipment from Russia,” she said.The S-400 is a military system comprising radars, command post, different types of missiles and launchers that can track several dozen incoming objects simultaneously from hundreds of kilometres away and launch counter-missiles.

Hitting out at the Congress, she alleged the party was restless because it could not make money. She accused the previous Congress government of negotiating with “brokers” and not buying important equipment required for the defence forces.

“With brokers and dalal they were still buying time, not buying important equipment. But we are buying now and that’s where I think the Congress is being restless as they couldn’t make money,” she said.

S-400 System

On the negotiation on the S-400 air defence systems, the defence minister said it was at a stage where it can be finalised. “We have a big legacy of buying defence equipment from Russia,” she said. The S-400 is a military system that can track several incoming objects simultaneously from hundreds of kilometres away.