Parrikar says Rafale deal gives India edge over Pakistan
December 10, 2017  11:27
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Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar accused former Defence Minister A K Antony of creating a "logjam" over the Rafale fighter jet deal and asserted that the acquisition of the French aircraft has given India a
superiority over Pakistan in terms of air power.

Parrikar said a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed the Rafale jet deal with the French government, he (Parrikar) had addressed a meeting of officials from the Air Force to work out a solution to the "logjam" created by the Congress leader.

"Antony had put strange noting on the file dealing with Rafale purchase. He mentioned on the file 'start discussion, finalise price and after everything is finished please come back to me' with all the documentary evidence of how the Rafale company was the lowest (bidder).

"Now the Central Vigilance Commission guideline says you can't negotiate with anyone other than the lowest (bidder). The files were going in circles and circles," he said.

Parrikar, who left the Union ministry to become Goa chief minister in March this year, said for two and a half years the file was "doing rounds in circle, we broke the circle by deciding that we will have to go for different approach".

-- PTI
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