Purchase of French planes - Dr Swamy's statement

Carla Bruni – Sdonia Gandhi Deal? Manmohan must answer!

- Dr. Swamy

 

April 29, 2011. 

 

Dr. Manmohan Singh,

Prime Minister of India,

South Block, New Delhi.

 

 Dear Prime Minister:

 

I made some enquiries from well placed sources in your Government regarding the decision already taken but not yet formalized (short of the ritual of  commercial evaluation and index of performance criteria)--  the choice of French planes for the Indian Air Force.

 

 

My sources indicate that the pre-determined decision to favour the French aircraft was the outcome of several conversations between the wife of French President Ms. Carla Bruni and the Chairperson of the National Advisory Council Ms. Sonia Gandhi, and surprisingly also  with two foreign nationals who are  the sisters of Ms. Sonia Gandhi.

 

 

Based on some credible information given to me on the conversation between Ms. Carla Bruni and Ms Sonia Gandhi's sisters, there has been an agreement of the French to pay a hefty bribe for favouring the purchase of French aircrafts.  This, if documented in the future, will be a major scandal which will haunt you and may lead to criminal prosecution for no fault of yours except that you have been compliant to the mysterious system of governance in this country that has been worked out by Ms. Sonia Gandhi since 2004. The Defence Minister Mr. A.K. Antony is like you, personally honest but he is even more compliant to these rules of governance.  Hence I am sending a copy of this letter to him.

 

 

Therefore you should take necessary steps to see that you are not kept out of the loop, as had been the case in the 2G Himalayan scam.  The US aircraft which has been deleted from the shortlist may or may not be the best for our Air Force (it has to be determined by your experts), but the US has a Foreign Corrupt Practices Act which makes it almost impossible to give bribes.  The French, however, while dealing with a foreign country have  a much more relaxed attitude to bribes paid abroad to secure contracts and this attitude has  become a part of their mental makeup of  contempt for the foreigner, especially us Indians.

 

 

Therefore I demand that you call for the review of the decision taken so far in the matter of purchase of aircrafts for the Indian Air Force.  I would urge you to make this review as transparent as possible so that those of us who have technical expertise will give good inputs for you to come to a conclusion.

 

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

( SUBRAMANIAN  SWAMY )