BJP blasted Congress over the ‘Rafale report’ and seeks an answer; INC stands for ‘I Need Commission.’ Alleges Sambit Patra
The latest expose by French portal Mediapart on suspected payments paid between 2007 and 2012 to a middleman involved in the Rafale contract, as well as the CBI’s apparent failure to examine these charges despite obtaining evidence, has revived a tremendous political battle.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today blasted Congress for suspected corruption under its watch prior to 2014. At the same time, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra of the Congress-led their party in accusing the government of a “cover-up” on corruption.
“The acronym INC stands for ‘Indian National Congress,’ which means ‘I need Commission.’ ‘I need commission,’ says Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Robert Vadra “Sambit Patra, a BJP spokesman, remarked
“Let Rahul Gandhi respond from Italy: why have you and your party spent so much time spreading lies about Rafale? Now it’s been revealed that their own government was in power from 2007 to 2012, during which time commissions were paid, and a middleman’s name has also been mentioned “According to Mr. Patra. He indicated that it was a commission agreement, not an aircraft good deal.
In a new report, Mediapart claims that Dassault paid at least 7.5 million euros (nearly 650 million) in bribes to a middleman to help secure the sale of 36 Rafale fighter jets to India, and that despite the presence of documents, Indian agencies like the CBI and Enforcement Directorate failed to investigate.
According to Mediapart, Dassault was able to pay secret commissions to alleged middleman Sushen Gupta because to allegedly falsified invoicing. The CBI and the Enforcement Directorate have been in possession of proof since October 2018, but have neglected to act, according to the report.
Sushen Gupta’s shell business got 914,488 euros between 2002 and 2006, according to invoices and bank accounts seized by the CBI, while the BJP-led NDA-1 was in office.
Between 2004 to 2014, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) was in power. After a seven-year exercise involving 126 aircraft for the Indian Air Force did not materialize during the UPA rule, the 36-jet Rafale agreement was completed on September 23, 2016.
As a result of Mediapart’s research into the “Rafale papers,” a judicial investigation into allegations of corruption, influence peddling, and favoritism in France was begun in July.
Sushen Gupta is suspected of receiving money from AgustaWestland through Interstellar Technologies, a Mauritius-based shell company, in order to obtain a contract to deliver 12 VVIP helicopters to India.
Mauritius agreed to transfer records pertaining to the company to the CBI and Enforcement Directorate to aid investigations. On October 11, 2018, the documents were sent to the CBI.
