Congress leaders outside the CAG office on Wednesday. (Express photo by Amit Mehra) Congress leaders outside the CAG office on Wednesday. (Express photo by Amit Mehra)

A delegation of senior Congress leaders on Wednesday submitted a memorandum and a number of annexures to the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) explaining the alleged ‘irregularities’ in the Rafale fighter jet deal and asked the auditor to prepare a report on it.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that all evidence and facts relating to the Rafale deal have been submitted to the CAG and they expect the truth to prevail after the report is made public.

“We explained to the CAG how Hindustan Aeronautics Limited was removed from the deal to benefit a private player. We hope the CAG will give its report soon. The CAG has assured us that they are already examining all aspects of the deal. We expect that when the report on the deal comes out in public domain, the real scam will come out and the truth shall prevail,” PTI quoted Surjewala as saying.

Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma told PTI, “We have given a detailed memorandum along with enclosures on the irregularities and acts of omission and commission by the Government in the fighter jet deal. We expect the CAG will prepare a report soon and present it before Parliament.”

The 20-point memorandum entails the chronological history of the deal and provides annexures as ‘proof of how the current NDA government distorted the original tender’ signed by its predecessor UPA government.

Calling the deal as the one meant to give direct benefit to ‘crony capitalists’, the memorandum raises the manner in which PSU HAL was excluded from the deal and Reliance Defence Limited, a “private company with zero experience of manufacturing fighter aircrafts”, was given the Rs 30,000 crore worth offset contract to develop the parts of fighter planes in India.

Meanwhile, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said Congress was raising the Rafale issue to satisfy its ego. “I don’t think JPC or CAG inquiry is set up to satisfy the ego of an ill-informed leader. What struck me more is that Mr Anthony, who was Defence Minister for eight years during the UPA rule, did nothing for the modernisation and empowerment of Indian Forces,” ANI quoted Prasad as saying.

“He (AK Antony) was the minister when the offset rule was framed and who left the HAL in lurch. He has a lot to answer. IAF badly needs plane, old planes are causing repeated accidents. Should the Congress at least rise to the occasion for the sake of country’s safety and security?” Prasad said.

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