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In The Media
Carnegie India

Why CAG and Modi Government’s Claims of Rafale Deal Being Cheaper are Open to Debate

Recent revelations about the Rafale deal have all focused on one central question: was the contract for 36 aircrafts secured by the NDA government on better terms than the older UPA negotiations for 126 medium multi-role combat aircrafts, especially with respect to cost and delivery time?

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By Srinath Raghavan
Published on Feb 19, 2019

Source: Print

Recent revelations about the Rafale deal have all focused on one central question: Was the contract for 36 aircraft secured by the NDA government on better terms than the older UPA negotiations for 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA), especially with respect to cost and delivery time?

Two documents made public Wednesday throw further light on these issues. The Hindu reproduced an eight-page dissenting note by three members of the Indian Negotiating Team (INT), claiming that the contract for the 36 aircraft was not on better terms. The CAG report tabled in Parliament, on the other hand, asserts that the government did manage to secure a better deal—but to a lesser extent than it claimed.

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This article was originally published in the Print.

About the Author

Srinath Raghavan

Nonresident Senior Fellow, Security Studies Program

Srinath Raghavan is a nonresident senior fellow at Carnegie India. His primary research focus is on the contemporary and historical aspects of India’s foreign and security policies.

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Srinath Raghavan
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Srinath Raghavan
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Carnegie India does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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