by Brig Arun Bajpai

Eric Trappier is not a small man, heading some Desi company, whose statement Mr Rahul Gandhi, the current President of Congress, can dismiss with drop a hat. Eric Trappier is CEO of French multinational Company DASSAULT which is one of the major arms producer in the world with an international outreach and reputation to protect. Selling 36 Rafale Fighter jets to India is not a very big deal for him. So when he is saying no hanky-panky is involved in Rafale Deal with India, then his statement has a meaning. By rejecting his statement and continuing with his dirge that large scale corruption is involved in Rafale Government to Government deal with France , Rahul Gandhi is displaying his immaturity and commitment to his policy of shoot and scoot without any proof.

It rarely happens that CEO of a company having World renowned reputation like the multinational Dassault, Eric Trappier , had made four statements in last three months saying that there is no corruption involved in Government to Government deal between India and France regarding Indian purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France and that India has got these fighters 9% cheaper then the deal being negotiated by Congress led UPA Government, which did not fructify .He also said that his company selected Ambani on its own and that there was no pressure involved by Modi Government. He further stated that why should he speak lies ? He does not have to. This often repeated statement by Rahul Gandhi that Anil Ambani firm Reliance Defence has been favoured by 30000 cores offset is also not true. There are 72 offset vendors in which Anil Ambanis Reliance Defence share only works out as 830 corers.

Needless to say Rahul Gandhi is hell bent to make this Rafale deal an election issue like Bofors howitzers of 1986 of Congress, in which it was known to all that commissions were taken and his father late Rajiv Gandhi, ex PM of India , name had been bandied about. Can Rahul Gandhi deny the fact that it was congress government at the helm in centre when Sonia Gandhi’s Italian friend and a DALAL in Bofors Deal, Ottavio Quatrochi was overnight bundled out from India and his ceased accounts in London were also quietly opened for him to take out commission money ? Rahul Gandhi has no proof of wrong doing in Rafale Deal , besides it is being investigated by SC as such is sub-judice so should not Rahul Gandhi be quiet till SC decides ? Rahul Gandhi forgets that if by some miracle Congress Government again comes to power in 2019 general elections, will the opposition allow him to work ? will opposition then not adopt the same shoot and scoot policy with or without proof?

Besides if Rahul Gandhi feels that people will reject the statement of CEO of Dassault, which says that there is no corruption involved in Rafale Deal and that people will accept his rantings that there is mother of all corruption involved in the said deal , that also without proof , then he is sadly mistaken. Calling PM Chor, as he again did on Monday, only proves the point that he can go to any length of negativity for the sake of power which he will not get this way , specially when he is questioning India’s security. It is pathetic. If India is not producing any defence related weapon , even  rifles which troops can use , despite having 8 large Defence PSUs, 21 ordinance factories, 41 state of art defence laboratories, 6 large shipyards , behemoth of DRDO ,it is because this art of buying weapons abroad and getting 10% commission, which is called good will money , directly deposited in swiss bank accounts , was perfected by Congress in their 60 year rule. May be Rahul Gandhi is confusing that Modi Government is continuing with this same policy. If that was true then Modi Government unlike Congress, would not have insisted on make in India in Defence. It is time RaGa comes down to mother earth because he must understand that now India is youngest country in the world with 72% literacy. People of India will not accept what he is saying without proof.

Brig Arun Bajpai (Retd) is a distinguished Defence and Strategic Analyst. Views expressed are of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of IDN. IDN does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same