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?
"It appears that when we and the opposition parties have woken up the nation, it has had some impact on the AK-103. You may not admit it or accept it because according to you, you are infallible and you are the supreme ruler who makes no mistakes.
"But clearly our criticism, the national outrage the collective condemnation of the opposition has had some effect, because this time you have applied a different standard. Right or wrong, we will decide later. But, please tell the nation why don't you apply even now the same standards retrospectively to the Rafale deal," he asked.
Citing the old adage "What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander", he asked who is the "goose" and who is the "gander". "Goose is the private Indian company in the Rafale deal and gander is the other offset company in AK-103 deal who might have got the offset contract," he said.
"This government is acting selectively, discriminately, it is making rules as it goes along. It is changing the goal post as the match is in progress. It is converting and inventing rules as the game is on," he said.
He asked if it was not correct that the government refused the offset contracts to a private entity as it is a government-to-government contract and said it must go to a public-sector or an arm of the government of India.
"If the AK-103 rifles deal is a government-to-government contract and you still have direct interference, then how is it then that they did not apply the same rules, guidelines on the Rafale deal. Are you not lying to the nation when you say we have nothing to do in the Rafale deal," he alleged.
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."
He, however, pointed out that as per media reports, it is revealed that Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reportedly turned down a Russian request to make another private Indian entity its partner for the joint manufacture of Rs 3,000-crore worth AK-103 assault rifles for the Indian Army.
"This shows the government's 'double speak' and its discriminatory on the Rafale deal and the AK rifle deal.
"Is the Modi government lying in the AK-rifle deal or in the Rafale deal? Hasn't its 'source based', 'headlines management' backfired now?
"Since the Modi government has virtually given up 'Make in India' in Defence, by only getting an investment of Rs 1 crore till now, it is imperative for them to clear the air on the same. The nation is waiting for a clear answer on this doublespeak," the Congress leader asked.
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