Govt adopting 'double standards' on defence deals, alleges Cong

The Congress today accused the Modi government of adopting "double standards" on defence agreements and asked why it did not adopt the same yardstick in the Rafale deal when it had disapproved Russia's move to grant offset contracts to a private player for AK-103 rifles.

Party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said a "fallacious argument" of the government on Rafale has been nipped in the bud by its own recent negotiations in another defence deal with Russia for manufacturing AK-rifles.

He claimed the government reportedly advised Russia that its firm Kalashnikov Concern tie up with the state-run Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) if it wants its proposal for manufacture of AK-103 assault rifles to be considered by the Defence Ministry.

"Why did it not apply the same principle in the Rafale scam? Why did Modi government not advise Dassault Aviation to negotiate further with government run HAL," he asked.

Singhvi said the government has been saying infinite times that the Rafale is a government-to-government deal and AK-103 is also the same kind of contract, and the government has direct interference in it.

"How is it then that the same guidelines was not been applied to Rafale?
Singhvi told reporters that when asked why the government allowed offset contract to Reliance Defence in Rafale deal, it said, "It was a government-to-government agreement and it had absolutely no role in facilitating the Rs 30,000 crore offset contract plus Rs 1,00,000 crore 'life cycle contract' to a private entity which had zero experience in manufacturing aircraft."
"Is the Modi government lying in the AK-rifle deal or in the Rafale deal? Hasn't its 'source based', 'headlines management' backfired now?