New Delhi, March 9

The Congress today attacked the BJP for paying a much higher price for Rafale fighter jets than some other countries had paid around the same time India signed the major defence purchase deal in 2016.Citing the Dassault Aviation’s Annual Report, Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Randeep Surjewala and former MoS Defence Jitender Singh said Dassault sold 48 jets to Qatar and Egypt in 2015 at the price of Rs 1,319 crore a jet and then 11 months later sold the same jet to India for Rs 1,670 crore a jet.“The price differential on every jet purchased by India is Rs 351 crore. Why did India pay an extra Rs 12,630 crore for 36 Rafale jets,” Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Azad asked today.The Congress asked the government why it junked the deal signed by the UPA which had negotiated the price of one Rafale jet at Rs 526 crore in December 2012.The Congress further accused PM Narendra Modi of violating the mandatory “defence procurement procedure” by unilaterally announcing on April 10, 2015 the purchase of 36 Rafale jets. “Why were the requirements of price discovery through contract negotiation committee and price negotiation committees not followed?” asked Surjewala. The Congress also questioned Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for citing emergency to purchase 36 jets off the shelf when none has been delivered even 35 months after the deal. — TNS