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Congress rejects Prasad’s claims that Dassault signed a contract with Mukesh Ambani
New Delhi, Sep 22 (IANS) The Congress on Saturday refuted the claims of Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad that French firm Dassault Aviation, the manufacturer of Rafale jets, had signed a contract with Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Limited in 2012 to execute the offset contract and described it as “totally false”.
“This is totally false and utter rubbish being dished out, unfortunately by Defence Ministry and the Law Minister,” Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said at a press conference here.
He said that “no such Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was ever signed between Dassault Aviation and Mukesh Ambani’s company”.
“They have the records. We challenge the Law Minister and Defence Minister (Nirmala Sitharaman) to make any such record public. As there is no record, the lies would be exposed,” Surjewala said.
Surjewala’s remarks came soon after Prasad recounted the history of the deal from 2006 and said there was contemporaneous evidence to show that the choice of offset partner, a Reliance company, was made in 2012 itself during the UPA rule, much before Modi became Prime Minister.
“There is evidence available that a proper MoU existed between Dassault and Reliance industry as early as on February 13, 2013, that means one year, four months before we came to power,” he said.
Prasad said the offset clause was finalised by the UPA in 2012 and the choice of the private firm in place of HAL was entirely that of Dassault. “In fact, the UPA had ditched the HAL,” he said.
Prasad was reacting to the raging controversy over the 36 fighter deal with France. His remarks came amid media reports of former French President Francois Hollande claiming that the Indian government suggested the private firm for the Rafale offset contract.
The Congress leader attacking the Narendra Modi-led government said, “Truth is that, Dassault Aviation had entered into a work-share arrangement with public sector undertaking Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). And it is proved in annual report 2013-14, in which Eric Trappier, CEO of Dassault, states that ‘our main partner is HAL’.”
He claimed that on March 25, 2015 (just 17 days before Modi’s announced the purchase of 36 Rafale on April 10, 2015), Dassualt CEO in the presence of Chief of Indian Air Force and HAL Chairman stated that negotiations with HAL were at final stage and contract finalisation and signature would come very soon.
“On March 13, 2014, a work-share agreement was signed between HAL and Dassault Aviation,” Surjewala claimed.
The deal to purchase 36 Rafale fighter jets from France was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015 and signed in 2016.
The UPA government was earlier negotiating a deal to procure 126 Rafale jets, with 18 to come in flyaway condition and 108 to be manufactured by HAL under licence.
The Modi government has repeatedly said it was Dassault that chose its India partner for offsets and that the government had no say in the deal.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.
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