I don't lie, Rafale 9% cheaper: Dassault CEO hits back at Rahul Gandhi

Trappier rejected Congress President Rahul Gandhi's allegations that he was lying about the details of Dassault and Anil Ambani-led Reliance joint venture for offset contracts in the Rafale jet deal

In an interview to an Indian news agency, Dassault Aviation’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Eric Trappier said the 36 Rafale jets to be supplied in flyaway condition to India are cheaper by 9 per cent than the 18 it was to supply under the agreement signed during the UPA-2 government. The Congress said the interview was a pack of “manufactured lies” and an attempt at a “cover-up”.

Trappier, in his interview to news agency ANI, rejected Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s allegations that he was lying about the details of Dassault and Anil Ambani-led Reliance joint venture for offset contracts in the Rafale jet deal. “I don’t have a reputation of lying. In my position as CEO, you don’t lie,” he said.

While Gandhi has alleged that Dassault picked Reliance, with no experience in defence manufacturing, over public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the CEO said, “We chose Ambani by ourselves. We already have 30 partners other than Reliance.”

Trappier said it was better to “start from scratch” and the reasons for handpicking Reliance was because they “have experience in big engineering facilities”. However, Trappier didn’t specify that earlier negotiations Dassault had were with Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance, while it eventually partnered with the company led by his younger brother.

During his election rallies in Chhattisgarh, Gandhi accused the PM of “snatching money from the poor and putting it in the pockets of the likes of Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya” via demonetisation, and benefitting Anil Ambani’s company in the Rafale deal. Alluding to the Centre’s affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, Gandhi said the PM has “admitted to theft” of public money to benefit Ambani.

The Congress leadership said several key questions weren’t asked to Trappier.

In his interview, Trappier said, “(The) price of 36 Rafales was exactly the same when you compare with 18 flyaway. Thirty-six is the double of 18, so as far as I was concerned, it should been double the price. But because it was government to government, there was some negotiation, I had to decrease the price by 9 per cent. The price of Rafale in flyaway condition is less expensive in the 36 contract than the 126 contract.”

The Congress disputed the figures, and said the CEO was being liberal with facts.

Trappier said Gandhi’s allegations made him sad since Dassault’s association with India and the Congress went back to 1953. “We have a long experience with the Congress. Our first deal was with India in 1953 with (Jawaharlal) Nehru and other prime ministers. We have been working with India. We are not working for any party. We are supplying strategic products like fighters to the Indian Air Force and the Indian government. That is what is most important,” said Trappier.

Sixty retired bureaucrats have also written to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) expressing concern over audit reports on demonetisation and the Rafale deal being "deliberately" delayed to not "embarrass" the Narendra Modi government till next year's general elections. They said the reports should be tabled before Parliament in the Winter Session.