Sharad Pawar Boosts Narendra Modi on Rafale, Adamant on Joint Parliamentary Committee Probe

Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image has been unscathed in the ongoing Rafale fighter aircraft row, a statement the BJP heartily welcomed on Thursday. “There is no doubt in public minds about Modi’s intentions in the Rafale deal, that’s what I feel,” Pawar said in an interview with a Marathi news channel New18-Lokmat, aired on Wednesday.

However, concurring with the Congress-led opposition demands, Pawar made it clear that there should be a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to probe the Rafale deal in depth to unravel the truth before the public. “When the Bofors deal with signed, the BJP was in the opposition and vociferously demanded a JPC probe which the then ruling Congress conceded. The terms and conditions of secrecy and other aspects are common in both Bofors and the Rafale agreements. So a JPC must be appointed to clear the air on the Rafale issue,” Pawar asserted.

While the Congress on Thursday terming it Pawar’s “personal views” on the sensitive matter, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah grabbed the opportunity by thanking Pawar for “placing national interests above party politics and speaking the truth”. (IANS)