When Subramanian Swamy called Rafale deal ‘corrupt’

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(Both PTI and Subramanian Swamy have denied the content of the story. This story became viral after an social media users began to share a 2015 link of The Indian Express, which carried a report attributing to BJP MP)

 

Not many would remember that BJP leader Subramanian Swamy had once allegedly threatened to move court against the Rafale deal, signed between the Indian government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and France.

Speaking in April 2015, the outspoken BJP MP had also termed the deal ‘corrupt and said that it will bring bad name to the party.

Janta Ka Reporter had exclusively exposed the Rafale scam in its three part series last year. You can read them here (Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3).

The senior BJP leader had said that no one in the world was buying the Rafale planes and in the past countries which signed an MoU to procure the aircraft have scrapped the deal.

“No one is buying the planes in the country. Dassault (Aviation- the company which manufactures the fighter jets) says if India does not buy these planes then they will wind up. Many counties like Switzerland signed an MoU, but later cancelled it,” Swamy was quoted by PTI.

Swamy had also allegedly taken a dig at the government stating that if the intention of the Centre’s Narendra Modi government was to make France happy, then it ought to have bought Dassault Aviation, which is anyway running in losses.

“If the government does not agree to this, then I have to go to the court. It is a corrupt deal and can spoil the name of the party. These babus (bureaucrats) are giving wrong advice to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The defence ministry’s opinion is also not this (to buy the planes),” he said.

After Janta Ka Reporter’s sensational expose, the Congress had taken the lead in attacking the government. Congress President Rahul Gandhi, who had also shared the JKR’s expose on his Twitter page, recently embarrassed the government inside the parliament during the no confidence motion debate.

(An earlier version of this story gave the impression that his comments were made recently. We regret the error. Since the PTI story went viral, Swamy has issued a denial on ever making such comments.)

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