Sharad Yadav seeks JPC probe into Rafale deal

Opposition leader Sharad Yadav on Monday sought a joint parliamentary committee probe into the Rafale deal, alleging a scam in the purchase of 36 fighter aircraft.

Former French president Francois Hollande has "exposed" irregularities in the deal, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not uttered a single word on the matter, the Loktantrik Janata Dal leader said in a statement.

"There was a lack of transparency in this deal, and therefore people of the country have doubts about scam in the purchase of (the) Rafale fighter jets. The relevant questions have not been answered from the government side as to why the price of one aircraft was raised from Rs. 526 crore to Rs. 1570 crore," Yadav said.

The UPA government had agreed to constitute the JPC in 2011 to look into the 2G scam, he said, adding that if the Modi government believed in transparency, it should also agree to a similar probe.