The Finance Minister said as per the second statement of Hollande, Dassault and Reliance selected themselves as partners. “This contradicts his first questionable statement which the French Government and Dassault have denied. The facts contradict the same. His second statement in Montreal, Canada to AFP (news agency) makes the veracity of his first statement even more questionable.”

Dassault Aviation itself has suggested that they have entered into multiple contracts with several public sector and private sector companies with regard to the offset contracts and the decision is entirely theirs.

The French Government and M/s Dassault Aviation have categorically denied the correctness of the former President’s first statement. The French Government has stated that the decision with regard to the offset contracts of Dassault Aviation are taken by the company and not the Government.

“the former French President’s first statement rhymes with Rahul Gandhi’s prediction”. “A controversy is sought to be created on the basis of a statement made by the former French President Hollande, that the Reliance Defence ‘partnership’ with Dassault Aviation was entered (into) at the suggestion of the Indian Government. In a subsequent statement the former President has sought to suggest that Reliance Defence emerged on the scene after the agreement with the Indian Government was entered into. He has, in a subsequent statement, said that he is ‘not aware’ if Government ever lobbied for Reliance Defence and that ‘the partners chose themselves’. Truth cannot have two versions.”

“Why is the Prime Minister silent?… It was he who had overturned the (earlier) deal… It was an unauthorised action on the part of the Prime Minister without the mandate from the Cabinet Committee on Security. So he has to answer.”

senior party leader Anand Sharma said he had violated the oath of confidentiality regarding the deal. “Only he could have told Anil Ambani that HAL (the PSU first expected to be part of the Rafale deal) will be out and he would strike a deal to buy 36 jets and ‘You (Ambani) go and talk to Dassault Aviation’,” Sharma said.

Jaitley also asserted that the fighter jet deal would not be scrapped. “Koi prashna nahin uthta. Ye fauj ki avashaktya hai. Ye desh main aana chahiye, aur ye aayega (There is no question of scrapping the deal. These fighters are needed by the defence forces. They should come and they will come),”

Reliance Defence was chosen as the offset partner in the deal by Rafale makers Dassault Aviation because the Indian government had proposed its name

The recent claim by former France president Francois Hollande that it was the Indian Government which proposed the name of Anil Ambani-led Reliance Defence in the Rafale deal