New article on Rafale based on fudged arithmetic: Jaitley dismisses report of price escalation

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday dismissed a news report of price escalation in the Rafale deal by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government and said it was based on "fudged arithmetic".

Taking to micro-blogging site Twitter, Jaitley asserted that the Supreme Court has examined the prices of the fighter aircraft and that the CAG too is examining the same.

"The new article on Rafale is based on fudged arithmetic - ignore the escalation of the 2007 non-deal offer and compare it with the 2016 price and invent a scam," he tweeted.

"The Supreme Court has examined the prices. The CAG is examining the same. The fudged arithmetic of a compulsive contrarian can hardly be objective. Fudged arithmetics does not add to the credibility of its creator, " he added.

Earlier today, the Defence Ministery also dismissed media reports suggesting that advancements sought by the union government shot the price of a Rafale planes by 41 per cent as "factually inaccurate".

"The article is factually inaccurate. It does not adduce any new arguments. All the issues have been answered in detail by the Government at various fora and most recently by the Raksha Mantri in an open debate in the Parliament," a Defence Ministry spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the India Specific Enhancements (ISE) were part of the requirements of the Indian Air Force to achieve tactical superiority over our adversaries.

The Central government signed a deal for 36 Rafale combat aircraft in September 2016 for over Rs 60,000 crore.

The government has stated in Parliament that the procurement was done to meet the emergency requirement of the Indian Air Force as the number of combat aircraft squadrons is dwindling.