Rafale debate highlights: Sitharaman ran away from my questions, says Rahul

A heated debate on the Rafale deal between Congress and BJP took place in the Lok Sabha. Catch Parliament winter session LIVE updates

5:59 PM

"The PM cannot come (to Parliament), and the chief minister of Goa is saying I have a file and I will get back at the PM. She gave a two-and-a-half hour speech and did not answer any questions," Gandhi said.

5:59 PM

It was a straight question and without answering that she "ran away", the Congress chief said.

5:58 PM

Addressing the country's youth, Gandhi said the minister was attempting to mislead them.

5:56 PM

Gandhi said he put two questions to the minister towards the end of the debate and asked her to reply in yes or no. 

5:56 PM

"The defence minister did not answer any of the questions I asked on the Rafale deal. She did not even take the name of Anil Ambani," Gandhi told reporters outside Parliament.

5:56 PM

Defence minister did drama: Rahul Gandhi 

"I asked that after a long negotiation process, those people who participated in that negotiations -- Air Force chief, defence minister, secretaries, Air Force officials -- when the prime minister did a 'bypass surgery'... did the Air Force people object, yes or know," Gandhi said. "And you saw that instead of answering this, the defence minister started doing drama that 'I have been insulted, I was called a liar'," he said.

5:54 PM

Sitharaman gave a long speech in Parliament but did not answer any of my questions: Rahul Gandhi

 

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday said Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman gave a long speech in Parliament but did not answer any of his posers on the Rafale deal and "ran away". Gandhi's assertion came after Sitharaman gave the government's reply on the Rafale fighter jet deal issue in the Lok Sabha.

5:36 PM

Questioning the seriousness of the Congress in discussing the facts of the Rafale deal, Sitharaman said when Finance Minister and former Defence Minister Arun Jaitley was speaking in the House on Wednesday, the Opposition party members were clicking pictures and throwing paper airplanes. 

5:35 PM

While countering Congress president Rahul Gandhi's claim that a French leader had told him that there was no secrecy clause in the deal, Sitharaman asked Gandhi to authenticate his claim on the floor of the House.

5:35 PM

Talking about ADAG group, which got the offset contract for the fighter jet deals, Sitharaman said the company obtained 53 waivers and concessions during the Congress-led UPA regime.

5:35 PM

"You are misleading the country by saying the NDA government reduced 126 Rafale jets to 36. Congress was supposed to buy 18 in fly-away condition, the NDA raised that to 36," Sitharaman said.

5:34 PM

"The price of the basic aircraft cannot be compared with price of weaponised aircraft," Sitharaman further said.

5:34 PM

"Comparing the cost of Rs 526 crore with Rs 1,600 crore is like comparing apples to oranges. The cost quoted in 2007... will it remain the same in 2016, because there is escalation cost and there is exchange rate variation," Sitharaman said.

5:34 PM

With regard to the pricing difference, Sitharaman said that there was no formal price noting by the Congress of Rs 526 crore as the deal price but that the price negotiated by the NDA government was nine per cent lower than what was negotiated by the UPA. 

5:30 PM

Sitharaman hits back 

During her nearly two-hour-long reply to the discussion on the Rafale issue in the Lok Sabha, Sitharaman informed the House that under the deal finalised by the NDA government, the delivery of the first Rafale jet would happen in 2019, while the last of the 36 jets would be delivered in 2022.

5:25 PM

5:08 PM

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday congratulated Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for her "outstanding" response to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's questions and allegations over the Rafale deal in the Lok Sabha.

5:03 PM

5:01 PM

Defence Minister Sitharaman did not answer any of my questions on Rafale deal: Rahul Gandhi 

4:51 PM

4:50 PM

4:12 PM

4:06 PM

I am very clear that PM Modi is directly involved in the Rafale scam. I am not accusing Nirmala Sitharaman of being involved in the scam. Other than defending a liar, she is not involved; I have no proof of her involvement at the time: Rahul Gandhi 

4:05 PM

My humble advice to PM Modi was that kindly pick-up the phone and tell the ex-President of France to not make such accusations against you: Rahul Gandhi

 

4:01 PM

I was surprised that the money that belongs to the people of India, details about that are not being given to the people: Rahul Gandhi

4:00 PM

Congress President Rahul Gandhi responds to Defence Minister Sitharaman

3:59 PM

Defence Ministry has run without 'dalals' under the Modi government: Sitharaman

3:59 PM

Bofors was a scam, Rafale is a decision taken in national interest: Sitharaman

Bofors brought Congress down, Rafale will bring Modi back to build new India and remove corruption stinking around Congress: Sitharaman 

3:56 PM

On the benchmark price, the price was compared to the 126 MMRCA L1 offer. The Indian side arrived at a better offer. There has been no loss to the exchequer. We have given you a better deal: Sitharaman 

3:54 PM