Senior Congress Leader P Chidambaram accused the government of compromising the national security and asked why it bought only 36 Rafale fighter jets instead of 126 required by the Air Force.
His comments come in the wake of fresh revelations on the Rafale deal in a media report by The Hindu, which claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modis decision to buy 36 aircraft instead of the 126 asked for by the Air Force pushed the price of each jet up by 41.42 percent.
P. Chidambaram✔@PChidambaram_IN
In the light of new facts and revelations in THE HINDU, the question gains greater urgency: why did the government buy only 36 Rafale aircraft instead of 126 aircraft required by the Air Force?
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The government has compromised the national security by denying to the Air Force the 7 squadrons (126 aircraft) that it desperately needs, he said.
Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia also took to Twitter to demand answers from Modi on the increased cost of aircraft.
The PMs unilateral decision to buy 36 Rafales resulted in a price escalation of 41.42 percent per jet. When will the prime minister answer? he asked.
The article was published in Bloomberg Quint.