Sharad Pawar makes U-turn on Rafale deal, says he ‘didn’t back’ Narendra Modi  

Sharad Pawar.

Under flak for allegedly “defending” Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Rafale controversy, Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar, on Monday, said he “never” did that.

Pawar repeated the Congress’s demand for a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe into the Rafale deal.

Addressing party workers in Marathwada’s Beed, Pawar said, “The Modi government bought the fighter jet. They must explain to Parliament why the cost of each jet rose from Rs 650 crore during the UPA government to Rs 1,600 crore. If the government doesn’t have answers, it will have to face accusations. It seems like a ‘loot’ to me.” He further said he would never support Modi on the issue. He said, “Some people have criticized me, claiming that I had supported Narendra Modi. I did not. I will never do that. There is no question of supporting this government over the Rafale deal.”

Pawar had caused a flutter with his remarks on the Rafale controversy last week when, in a TV interview, he said: “I do not think people doubt Modi’s personal integrity. But the manner in which crucial information (regarding the Rafale deal) is being suppressed, and the manner in which defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman handled the issue has heightened suspicion.”

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