French jet deal rocks India’s parliament

New Delhi (dpa) , Feb 13, 2019-   An auditor’s report and media coverage on a controversial jet deal dominated India’s parliament Wednesday, on its last day of business before the country heads for elections.  

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has been accused by opposition parties of financial irregularities in a 8.6-billion-dollar-deal involving the acquisition of 36 Rafale fighter jets for the Indian Air Force from French company Dassault Aviation.  

Opposition parties are trying to make the deal a major issue in the run-up to general elections scheduled to be held in April-May.  

The government of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has maintained that it secured a far better deal than a previous one being negotiated by a government led by the Indian National Congress party.  

A report in the Hindu newspaper said according to an official not, three senior Defence Ministry experts on a panel negotiating the deal for the BJP government had concluded the terms were not “better” than those offered to the 
previous government.