Amarinder asks Swamy not to sabotage Rafale deal

CHANDIGARH: Congress deputy leader in Lok Sabha Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday asked BJP leader Subramanian Swamy to stop speaking unnecessarily regarding the 36 Rafale jets, for which a deal was signed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday in France. "This statement is obviously for settling scores with the Prime Minister for not being taken into the cabinet," he remarked, while asking, "Does his personal requirement come before that of the nation?"

Welcoming the government of India's decision to buy Rafale jets from France, which will strengthen the Indian Air Force, Amarinder stated in a press release, "For heaven's sake put your personal agenda aside for a while as this concerns the defence of the Nation. He said the purchase of 36 jets, to equip two squadrons, was crucial for strengthening IAF.

"The Chinese air force has a 3:1 superiority over us, and against a minimum requirement of 45 squadrons, the IAF has only 32," the former Punjab chief minister pointed out. "Of these, 32 are MIG 21s which were first introduced in 1965 and have outlived their lives," he said.

Amarinder said the country's defence forces were badly short of modern and sophisticated equipment and weapons. He disclosed that the Armoured Corps had no fresh first line ammunition, the Infantry needed a new rifle as the INSAS was not liked by the troops as they consider it ineffective.

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