Modi paying Rs 11 bn extra per Rafale jet, while army begs for money: Rahul

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday alleged Prime Minister Narendra Modi led Centre is paying Rs 11 billion (Rs 1,100 crore) extra per Rafale jet.

Citing Rafale manufacturer Dassault's 2016 annual report, Gandhi said that the Narendra Modi government is purchasing per Rafale jet at the rate of Rs 16.7 billion while the Congress-led Manmohan Singh (MMS) government had finalised the deal at the rate of Rs 5.7 billion per Rafale jet.

Gandhi said that Rafael manufacturer Dassault has busted lie of Raksha Mantri (Defence Minister) by releasing prices paid per Rafale plane in its 2016 annual report.

"Dassault called RM's lie and released prices paid per RAFALE plane in report: Qatar = Rs 13.19 billion, MODI = 16.7 billion, MMS = 5.70 billion. 11 billion per plane or 360 billion i.e 10 % of our Defence budget, in the pocket. Meanwhile, our Army begs our Govt. for money," Gandhi tweeted.

Narendra Modi government has signed a deal with France based Dassault Aviation to purchase 36 Rafale jets.

This is not the first time that Rahul has alleged corruption in the Rafale deal.

In February, Gandhi posed eight questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the deal and alleged that the Prime Minister personally went to Paris and changed the deal.

After this, Prime Minister Modi led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government issued a detailed clarification and said the Opposition was misleading the country over the Rafale deal.

The NDA also said its deal is better in terms of capability, price, equipment, delivery, maintenance, training than that notionally negotiated by the then Government (United Progressive Alliance) in a process it could not conclude in ten years.