AICC national spokesperson Pawan Khera speaks to the media at Gandhi Bhavan on Tuesday. Also seen are TPCC president A Revanth Reddy and Nalgonda MP N Uttam Kumar Reddy

Speaking to the media at Gandhi Bhavan, Pawan Khera termed Rafale as the biggest defence scam and felt that only an independent investigation would unearth the scam

HYDERABAD: Alleging that the Narendra Modi government had sacrificed national security, jeopardised the Indian Air Force besides causing a loss of thousands of crores to the national exchequer, AICC spokesperson Pawan Khera held that recent revelations revealed a dubious nexus between the Centre, the CBI and ED to bury the Rafale scam.

Speaking to the media at Gandhi Bhavan, he termed Rafale as the biggest defence scam and felt that only an independent investigation would unearth the scam. “The UPA government had negotiated the purchase of each Rafale fighter aircraft, including Transfer of Technology for Rs 526.10 crore, after floating an international tender. However, after Modi became PM, the same aircraft (off the shelf, without any tender) was earmarked for Rs 1,670 crore, and without Transfer of Technology to India. The difference in cost of 36 jets is approximately Rs 41,205 crore, which is three times more than the actual price,” he said.

The Congress leader said that for ensuring that this ‘murky deal’ is reached without a hitch, PM had abrogated the Anti-Corruption clauses, which are a mandatory policy in Defence contracts as per the Defence Procurement Procedure.

On October 11, 2018, the Government of Mauritius through its Attorney General supplied documents to the CBI regarding alleged payment of commission connected to the Rafale deal. “However on October 23, 2018, a PM-led committee removed CBI Director Alok Verma in a midnight coup, raided the CBI headquarters through the Delhi police and appointed its protégé, M Nageshwar Rao as the CBI chief. This was part of a concerted conspiracy to bury the Rafale ghost through the CBI,” he added.