On June 14, the French government opened an investigation into the 2016 deal worth 7.8 billion euros for the sale of 36 fighter jets.
The Congress on Saturday sought a Joint Parliamentary Committee investigation into the 2016 Rafale fighter jet sale deal. The demand was renewed a day after reports said that a French judge has been asked to investigate the deal on suspicions of corruption. The investigation into the deal worth 7.8 billion euros (more than Rs 69,000 crore) for the sale of 36 fighter jets was formally opened on June 14, French investigative journalism outfit Mediapart reported on Friday. “The scandalous expose of ‘Rafale Scam’ involving ‘massive corruption’, ‘treason’, ‘loss to public exchequer’ has finally been uncovered and laid bare,” the Congress said in a statement. “The Congress Party and Shri Rahul Gandhi stand vindicated today.” The Rafale deal had become a major political topic during the Lok Sabha election campaign in 2019. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and several others had accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of treason and corruption, and alleged that he had acted as a middleman for industrialist Anil Ambani in the deal. Speaking to reporters, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said that a joint parliamentary panel inquiry was needed as the matter deals with national security, reported PTI.
