Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Lok Sabha: CAG is conducting performance audit of capital acquisition of air… https://t.co/II5znCDN7k — ANI (@ANI) 1546597791000

Defence Minister: Emergency purchases are always two squadrons. In 1982, when Pak was buying F-16s, Indian gvt then… https://t.co/CAjdhxoboc — ANI (@ANI) 1546593830000

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tore into Congress during a discussion in Lok Sabhaon Rafale deal today, asking why the previous UPA government did not add a single fighter aircraft during its 10 year rule.The Atal Bihari Vajpayee started the motion to acquire 126 aircraft in 2001 after Kargil war . In 2006, the then UPA government issued SQR (Services Qualitative Requirements) for the same but the issue reached a deadlock by 2014, Sitharaman said.She reminded the opposition members that while India added no fighter aircraft, its hostile kept increasing their air power in the same period. China added 400 aircraft between 2004-14 and even included 5th-gen aircraft while Pakistan doubled its aircraft fleet in the same period, Sitharaman added.She said as per the old agreement, the first Rafale batch was to be delivered three years of signing the agreement. The Modi government, in view of the urgency, went ahead with the 36 jet deal, Sitharaman said justifying the government to government deal.She claimed that the previous defence minister had even kept an elaborate timeline to make payments for the deal but kept saying that government has no money. This, she said, proves that the Congress government had no intention to purchase the aircraft."There is a difference in deals and deals in defence. We don't do deals in defence" she quipped in an apparent reference to AgustaWestland Chopper scam.She also took a dig at Rahul Gandhi for using abbreviations AA for Anil Ambani. "For every AA there RV and a Q," she said in an apparent reference to Robert Vadra (brother-in-law of Mr Gandhi) and Ottavio Quattrocchi (an accused in the Bofors scandal).Refuting allegations that the NDA government neglected HAL, she said that the previous governments never signed any agreement with the public sector manufacturer either."They (Congress) did not sign a deal with HAL and now they are shedding crocodile tears," Sitharaman added.Sitharaman also defenced government's decision to purchase only 36 Rafale jets instead of 126 as was earlier thought was required. In 1982, India brought two squadrons of MIG-23s while in 1985, the country brought 2 squadrons of Mirage 2000 while in 1987 another two squadrans of MIG-2 were purchased, she cited.On price, Sitharaman said that cost of Rafale increased as there has been an escalation of cost and exchange rate variation. Also, the price of the basic aircraft cannot be compared with price of weaponised aircraft, she added.