India and France may not have sealed the two big ticket deals — on the Rafale fighter jets and the Jaitapur nuclear plant — during the on-going visit of French President Francois Hollande, but the two sides have managed to resolve their differences and conclude long-drawn negotiations for the SR-SAM (missile) joint-development project worth $6 billion.
President Francois Hollande was at pains to assure New Delhi, currently rocked by a scam involving alleged kickbacks in the Agusta Westland helicopter deal with an Italian company, that business related to defence would be done in adherence to the rules of trade. “In the field of corruption, we are as vigilant as India is because it is an essential principle,” said the Socialist President of France. Defence is seen as an important pillar of India’s strategic partnership with France, inked in 1998.
Mr Hollande, accompanied also by his defence minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, and foreign minister Laurent Fabius, voiced his assurance when asked whether he could assure India that no middlemen would be involved in the Rafale deal, which is worth almost $20 billion and involves the acquisition by India of 126 fighter jets.
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BJP wants sc role; jaswant defends tyagi
Age Correspondent
New Delhi, Feb. 14
Admitting parameters for purchase of VVIP helicopters were changed on the directive of then NSA Brajesh Mishra, senior BJP leader and former defence minister Jaswant Singh on Thursday came out in support of Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi, former IAF Chief, saying allegations should not be made till the truth is known.
But despite Jaswant Singh’s soft line on the issue, the BJP said on Thursday the former Air Chief had a lot to answer for over the deal.
The BJP also demanded that the probe into the case be monitored by the Supreme Court, saying a “mere CBI inquiry is not enough”.