Congress gives notice in Rajya Sabha to discuss Rafale deal

In a fresh turn of events, Congress Member of Parliament Anand Sharma on Wednesday gave notice in Rajya Sabha under rule 267 to immediately discuss the issue of Rafale fighter jets deal.

The 65 -year-old Congress leader in his letter alleged irregularities and corruption in the multi-crore fighter jets deal.

The Rule 267 of the Rajya Sabha is related to suspension of rules which says "Any member, may, with the consent of the Chairman, move that any rule may be suspended in its application to a motion related to the business listed before the Council of that day and if the motion is carried, the rule in question shall be suspended for the time being."

According to Sharma, the decision of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre of buying the jets has resulted in a loss not only in national exchequer but also in a loss of technology transfer in the manufacture of 108 fighter jets by public-sector Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL)

The Rafale jet deal controversy has been on the boil over the last few months. The Congress and other opposition parties have been alleging irregularities in the high-profile deal.

The fighter jet is a twin-engine Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft, which security analysts believe can be a 'game-changer' for India's defense system.

The deal to procure its fleet was announced after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with then French president François Hollande in 2016.

Political slugfest over the deal escalated when Hollande, in an interview last month, claimed that France had no choice in the selection of Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence as offset partner for Rafale-maker Dassault.

-ANI