Why is govt buying so few Rafale jets if they are cheap, asks P Chidambaram

Talking to reporters here on sidelines of a party meeting, he said the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government had decided to buy 126 Rafale aircraft and entered into an agreement. But, the present government had cancelled it and inked a new deal.

“They claimed that the fighter jet was cheaper. In that case they should tell how they (jets) are cheaper. They are not revealing it, besides if the cost of the plane is cheaper then why not buy more jets? Why is the government buying only 36 jets?” the former Union minister said. 

Alleging that Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was “not aware of anything”, he said in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) regime, three Union ministers have been taking care of the defence portfolio. “None of them did a proper job,” Chidambaram said.

Responding to a query, he said the Central government’s economic policies have turned into a fiasco and that the people are aware of it. 

Commenting on the Congress-DMK combine, Chidambaram said his party would be happy if more parties join them. “It is a cause of concern that the Election Commission is still ignoring irregularities committed during the RK Nagar by-poll,” he said, adding that it showed that the poll watch body was inactive. It is for this reason, Chidambaram said, the Congress party had been demanding to bring back the ballot paper system.