New Petition Demands JPC Probe into Modi’s Rafale Scam
An online petition on public petition site Change.org seeks people’s support for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to investigate the Rafale fighter aircraft deal, that PM Narendra Modi’s government has signed.
The petition claims that all key decisions – including price, number of aircraft, partners, etc. – have been taken by a single man – Narendra Modi, bypassing established processes and procedures that have been put into place, including the high level, Cabinet Committee on Security.
The petition explains that the price per aircraft has increased by about 300% over the price agreed to by the previous government. Till date, it says, the Modi government has not been able to offer a reasonable explanation for this price increase.
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The petition further says that Anil Ambani, whose group has consolidated debt in excess of Rs. 45,000 crore (over $6 billion) was made a beneficiary of the “Off Set” clauses worth Rs. 30,000 crore that are part of the deal. According to the petition, the total benefit to Anil Ambani’s, Reliance Defence is Rs. 130,000 crore (about $20 billion) – which makes it the biggest fraud in the world.
“We the people of India have the right to hold our elected government to the highest standards of transparency and accountability. A Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) will help establish whether the grave charges that have been made against the government in the Rafale deal are justified,” the petition suggests.
A government that has nothing to fear should have no hesitation in allowing such an inquiry to take place: to put to an end to all speculations about rampant corruption in the Rafale deal, says the petition, which has so far been signed by nearly 6,000 people.
