Centre should take cognizance of Rafale deal corruption allegations: Mayawati

By Astha Oriel
(PTI desk)

Jul 05, 2021

06:11 pm

Centre should take cognizance of Rafale deal corruption allegations: Mayawati — Mayawati said allegations of commission in defense deals is an old burning issue

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Supremo Mayawati on Monday said on Twitter that the Centre should take cognizance of the alleged "corruption" in the Rafale deal. Her tweet comes days after a French judge was appointed to lead a "highly sensitive" judicial probe into the suspected "corruption" and "favoritism" in the Rs. 59,000 crore Rafale fighter jet deal with India. Here are more details.

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Allegations of corruption is subject of public discussions: Mayawati

Mayawati wrote, "The news of a judicial inquiry set up by the French government on allegations of corruption in the purchase of Rafale fighter jets by the Indian government has made headlines again and is the subject of public discussions." "It would be better if the Central government also takes proper cognizance of it," she added.

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Allegations of commission in defense deals not new: Mayawati

"However, the allegations of commission in defense deals and its investigation are not new. It is an old burning issue since the time of the Congress government," the ex-Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said. "BSP believes that it would be better if the present government at the Centre puts an end to this issue by settling the Rafale dispute according to public satisfaction," she added.

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Here's what Mayawati tweeted

2. वैसे रक्षा सौदों में कमीशन का आरोप-प्रत्यारोप व इसकी जाँच आदि होना यहाँ कोई नया नहीं बल्कि कांग्रेस सरकार के समय से ही पुराना ज्वलन्त अध्याय है किन्तु केन्द्र की वर्तमान सरकार राफेल विवाद को जनसंतोष के मुताबिक निपटारा करके इस मुद्दे को विराम दे तो यह उचित, ऐसा बीएसपी का मानना।
— Mayawati (@Mayawati) July 5, 2021

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Congress demands Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the Rafale deal

Notably, the Indian National Congress on Sunday also lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central government over the French probe into allegations of corruption in the Rafale deal. Moreover, Congress has also demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Rafale deal and said that such an investigation is the only way forward to find the truth.

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Deal was signed in 2016 for 36 fighter jets

The Rafale deal was signed in 2016 for 36 fighter jets for €7.8 billion. In April 2021, French publication Mediapart reported on alleged irregularities and corruption in the deal, following which the French government opened an investigation into the Rafale deal on June 14.