Three Rafale jets land in Bengaluru for Aero India show

Team Udayavani, Feb 14, 2019, 4:39 AM IST

Bengaluru: Amid a huge raging political storm over the Rafale deal, three French-made fighter jets landed here for the Aero India show 2019, beginning February 20.

The fighter jets touched down at the Yelahanka Air Force Station, a defence official said.

The Rafale jets landed on a day when the Comptroller and Audit General (CAG) report on Indo-French Rafale deal was tabled in Parliament.

The Rafale fighter jet will take part in the rehearsals on Thursday for the five-day 12th edition of Asia’s premier air show beginning on February 20, the official said.

Two of the fighters will be used for flying exercises and the third for static display, reports said.

The CAG report revealed that the Rafale deal negotiated by the NDA government to procure 36 fighter jets was 2.86 per cent cheaper than the UPA’s 2007 offer.

The report also stated that India saved 17.08 per cent money for the India Specific Enhancements while purchasing 36 Rafale aircraft, as compared to the 126 aircraft deal negotiated by the UPA government.

It added that the delivery schedule of the first 18 Rafale aircraft was better than the one proposed in the 126 aircraft deal.

Dassault is scheduled to deliver four Rafales to India in September.

Union Minister Arun Jaitley said the lies of the Congress and opposition parties stand exposed by the CAG report on Rafale, which reaffirms the dictum that truth shall prevail.

“It cannot be that the Supreme Court is wrong, the CAG is wrong and only the dynast is right.

Satyameva Jayate” the truth shall prevail. The CAG Report on Rafale reaffirms the dictum,” Jaitley had said in a series of tweets.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who has been carrying on a sustained campaign against the Modi government on Rafale, said the CAG report does not mention the dissent note by negotiators and said he doesn’t think its worth the paper its written on.