Reliance Group chairman Anil Ambani on Friday welcomed the verdict of the Supreme Court ruling out any probe against the Rafale fighter jet deal.
“Welcome judgment of Hon’ble Supreme Court today summarily dismissing PILs filed on Rafale contracts, and conclusively establishing complete falsity of wild, baseless and politically motivated allegations levelled against Reliance Group and me personally,” a statement released by Anil Ambani said.
“We remain committed to India’s national security and to making our humble contribution towards the ‘Make in India’ and ‘Skill India’ policies of the Government in the critical area of defence including our offset partnership agreement with our valued partner, Dassault Aviation of France,” the statement added.
The verdict comes as a major boost for the Narendra Modi government which had been cornered by the Opposition alleging that the original Rafale contract was changed with a new one to benefit Anil Ambani to the tune of Rs 30,000 crore.
Read | ‘Not for court to scrutinise’: What the Supreme Court said in Rafale deal verdict
A French media report had earlier cited a Dassault official as saying that partnership with Anil Ambani’s Reliance Group was “mandatory” to win the contract with India for the Rafale aircraft, following which Congress President Rahul Gandhi accused the government of corruption.
The report said it had obtained a document detailing a presentation that deputy chief executive officer Loïk Segalen had made explaining the reason behind choosing Reliance Defence for the deal.
Segalen’s remarks reinforced the statement made by former French president Francois Hollande that France did not have any role in the selection of Anil Ambani’s Reliance Defence as India offset partner for Rafale-maker Dassault.
However, Dassault had declined the claim by the media report and reiterated that it had “freely chosen” Reliance Defence as the offset partner.
Anil Ambani had last year written to Congress president Rahul Gandhi refuting allegations of his Reliance Group lacking experience to get the Rafale fighter jet deal, and asserting that the government had no role in French Group Dassault picking up his company as a local partner.
Talking about the deal, he wrote, “Not only do we have the necessary experience but we are also the leaders in several important areas of defense manufacture.”
“The decision of the Government of India to purchase 36 Rafale fighter jets from France was made through an inter-governmental agreement signed between the two countries. Also, all these 36 aircraft are being manufactured in France and will be delivered on a ‘fly away’ basis from Dassault manufacturing facilities in France to the Indian Air Force and no Indian company has any role to play,” he said.
“Dassault chose Reliance Group as its joint venture partner to meet the ‘offset’ or export obligation component of the deal and this was an independent agreement between two corporate private sector entities, and Governments had no role to play in this matter,” he wrote.
The Congress has been attacking the government on the deal which it claims was inked at a much higher price than the one the previous UPA regime had negotiated.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the procurement of a batch of 36 Rafale jets after talks with the then French President Francois Hollande on April 10, 2015 in Paris. The final deal was sealed on September 23, 2016.