Uproar in Parliament over Rafale deal, Congress demands JPC probe, Modi government not ready

The winter session of Parliament on Wednesday witnessed ruckus by Opposition MPs and Lok Sabha was adjourned for the second time in the day after the Narendra Modi government once again rejected Opposition demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Controversial Rafale deal. The Congress party and its president Rahul Gandhi have been alleging irregularities in the purchasing of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft from France. The Congress chief has been claiming that the Narendra Modi government was buying the aircraft on a much higher cost than what was decided during the UPA government. The Congress also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of favouring Anil Ambani’s Reliance over state-run HAL.

The BJP, however, made counterclaims and said that they were buying the aircraft cheaper than what was decided by the Manmohan Singh government. However, the Congress didn’t buy the BJP’s claims and demanded a JPC probe into the deal. The BJP, however, is not ready for the JPC probe and the tussle was seen in Parliament today.

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Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, said that there were “serious apprehensions” in the minds of the people over the Rafale deal, thus, a JPC probe was necessary. He claimed that there was a “massive loss” to the tax-payers because of the Rafale deal besides the loss of Transfer of Technology to the state-run Hindustan Aeronautical Limited.

When the house was reconvened after the noon, parliamentarians from the Congress, the AIADMK and the TDP, holding placards and shouting slogans, started protesting in the well of the House. The AIADMK MPs were protesting over the proposed construction of a dam across the Cauvery river by Karnataka. The TDP members were protesting over their demand for special status to Andhra Pradesh.

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Earlier on Tuesday, the MPs of the ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress duelled over the Rafale issue and 1984 anti-Sikh riots case even as Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu asked them to allow peaceful proceedings.