AAP demands JPC on Rafale

Hours after the Supreme Court dismissed petitions seeking a court-monitored probe into the purchase of 36 Rafale jet fighters, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to probe the deal and a detailed discussion in Parliament.

Senior AAP leader and MP Sanjay Singh said the court had refused clearly to interfere in many of the matters related to the deal, including the question of pricing and choice of offset Indian partner.

"A JPC should be formed for a detailed probe in the deal as to how the per jet cost reached Rs 1,670 crore from the earlier Rs 540 crore and why they (BJP) preferred a private firm over a government firm," Singh told media.

Singh added: "If the BJP thinks the court has given a clean chit to it, then it should not be afraid of the JPC."

The apex court on Friday dismissed petitions seeking a court-monitored probe into the purchase of 36 Rafale jets in ready to fly condition, holding that the decision making process was not in doubt and it cannot go into the question of pricing and choice of offset Indian partner by the French aircraft manufacturer Dassault.

Singh was one of the petitioners along with Prashant Bhushan, Arun Shourie, former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha and advocates M.L. Sharma and Vineet Dhanda.

The Rajya Sabha MP also said: "They (BJP) are not ready to follow the verdict of the apex court on Sabarimala or Ram temple issue. There are some responsibilties of Parliament and the BJP should let it function that way. It should not run away from the responsibilities it has to bear in Parliament. I will say it will not be right to ignore the powers of Parliament. We demand all the facts on the deal should be produced before Parliament.

"I am not making any comment on the court's order as it will not be a correct thing to do but the AAP will continue raising the issue before the public," he said.

Singh said a JPC was set up on the Bofors artillery deal, and on the basis of the JPC report a probe was done. "I don't see any harm in the JPC's formation."

--IANS

nks/mr