India's defense minister in Paris amid controversy over planes deal
397 views · Published 16 October 2018 · 1:37 · Indexed 30 September 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(11 Oct 2018) India's Defence Minister on Thursday held talks with her French counterpart amid stark controversy over a multi-billion dollar deal to sell 36 fighter jets to India. France's Defence Minister Florence Parly welcomed India's Nirmala Sitharaman in Paris for discussions on deepening cooperation between the two countries. The combat aviation deal, which dates back to 2016, was for India to buy Rafale fighter jets from French aircraft manufacturer Dassault. The leader of India's main opposition Congress party, Rahul Gandhi, has accused Narendra Modi's government of buying the aircraft at nearly three times the price being negotiated when his party was in power before Modi became prime minister in 2014. India's government has denied any wrongdoing, and Sitharaman refuted the claims prior to her arrival in the French capital. Gandhi also accused Modi's government of favouring the company owned by industrialist Anil Ambani's Reliance Group, when choosing an Indian partner for Dassault. Dassault Aviation said in a statement Wednesday that it "has freely chosen to make a partnership with India's Reliance Group." The French company explained that it has committed to side deals in India worth 50 percent of the value of the jet purchases. In order to deliver those side deals, it decided to create a joint-venture with Reliance Group. The controversy intensified following comments last month by former French President Francois Hollande - who was in charge at the time the deal was signed - suggesting France had no say in selecting the Indian company. Gandhi has since pressured the government to reveal the exact price of the Rafale aircraft deal, claiming that French President Emmanuel Macron told him in March 2018 that there was no secrecy clause. The French Embassy in New Delhi immediately issued a statement saying that a security agreement bound the two countries to protect classified information. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/a1c621cf4c6c0c465ab649b989c4260b
