P Chidambaram says ‘if voted to power, Congress won’t scrap Rafale deal but buy more jets at better price’ 

P Chidambaram.

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said if the Congress is voted to power it will not scrap the Rafale fighter deal with France but would rather buy more by making it a better deal. He added that the choice of offset partner was “indeed an issue”, but the “most critical issue” was the number of aircraft and the price and the delivery schedule.

In an interview with Indian Express, published on Thursday, Chidambaram said, “Rafale aircraft would be bought. This deal can undergo changes and modifications to make it a better deal.”

Answering a question on whether the Congress will scrap the deal if voted to power, Chidambaram said, “We are the ones who chose the Rafale aircraft. Why should we scrap the Rafale aircraft? Rafale is a good aircraft. We want that aircraft. In fact, if the Congress comes to power, it will explore how you can buy 126 Rafale aircraft, ask for quicker delivery, and bolster the Air Force. But we will certainly look into pricing, we will certainly look into the delivery schedule, we will look into the India specific enhancements to check whether the configuration is the same as we agreed upon. All those will be looked into. But the Rafale aircraft deal will not be scrapped.”

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