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Modi won’t survive if Rafale probed, says Rahul; Reliance rebuts charges (Second Lead)
New Delhi/Mumbai, Nov 2 (IANS) Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday alleged that French defence major Dassault Aviation had paid “kickback” to Reliance to secure the Rafale deal, and claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not survive if the “huge corruption” in the purchase was probed.
Reliance has, however, rubbished the allegations as “blatant lies”.
Rejecting Gandhi’s allegations, Reliance accused the Congress of resorting to “blatant lies” and “distorted facts” to mount an “unwarranted campaign of calumny and falsehoods” against the Group and its Chairman Anil Ambani.
“If an inquiry starts on this (Rafale deal), Modi is not going to survive it, guaranteed,” Gandhi said here alleging the deal to procure 36 Rafale jets was “done by Modi to give Ambani Rs 30,000 crore”.
Gandhi cited two reasons for his claims: “One, because of corruption. Two, because it is very clear who the decision maker was.
“Nobody would be able to say that some General in the Air Force or the Defence Minister or some bureaucrat from the Defence Ministry (was the decision maker).”
Gandhi said that if there was nothing to hide, Modi would have ordered an inquiry into the decision to purchase the fighter jets from France.
“But Modi is silent. He has lost his sleep because of tension as he knows he will be caught.”
Claiming Dassault Aviation “invested Rs 284 crore” in a “loss making” Indian company, Gandhi said it was the “first installment of kickback” that was paid by the French defence major to secure the deal.
He said that Dassault CEO Eric Trappier’s claim that his company chose Reliance as its offsets partner because it had land available next to an airport, had been belied as it had been revealed that the land was bought by the money that was “invested by Dassault”.
Gandhi alleged Trappier was “lying” to save Modi who in April 2015 had announced the inter-governmental deal to buy the jets in “complete violation” of defence procurement policies.
He also alleged that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director Alok Kumar Verma was “removed” because he was looking into the documents pertaining to the deal that could “nail” Modi.
“It is obvious that there is enough material in public domain to nail Modi,” he said alleging that Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s recent visit to France was a part of a cover-up which the Modi government was indulging in to prevent the truth from coming out.
Gandhi also said that Modi was “terrified” and would never agree for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the deal.
Strongly denying Gandhi’s allegations, Reliance Infrastructure said it was “deeply unfortunate” that the group and its chairman were continuously being dragged into a political battle ahead of the state and general elections.
It said that Dassault’s investment in Reliance Airport Developers Ltd (RADL) had no link with the Rafale contract.
“Congress attacks on Anil Ambani in his individual capacity are shameful and deplorable,” the company said in a statement, adding that Anil Ambani had not entered into any transactions personally with Dassault nor had he derived any personal benefit from any transactions.
It said that RADL transaction was completed in full compliance with applicable FDI and all other regulations and that the information was in public domain since December 2017, nearly a year ago.
“It is clear that the Congress’ consistent allegation that Anil Ambani has received contracts worth Rs 30,000 crore is a blatant attempt to mislead the public for their own political gains and is a concoction of lies,” it said rejecting Congress’ allegation that “land at Mihan, Nagpur was bought from funds provided by Dassault”.
“Any suggestion of any payment to Anil Ambani is absolutely false and mischievous,” it said, adding that payment for the land at Mihan was made from 2015 to 2017, much before the investment by Dassault in RADL.
The company said the Indian and French governments, Dassault and Reliance have clarified on multiple occasions that there was no offset contract for Rs 30,000 crore to Reliance, related to purchase of 36 aircraft.
–IANS
and/nir
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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.