RAFALE-SITHARAMAN (CORRECTION)

Defence Minister Nirmala

Sitharaman Friday took a swipe at Congress chief Rahul

Gandhi's comments about the Rafale deal, saying he is 'a

confused man' as he has been saying different things about it

over time.

She was responding to questions from reporters here on

Gandhi's comments over the issue, that the Rafale deal was

between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and businessman Anil

Ambani.

"You don't get confused...Rahul Gandhi is a confused man.

He talks about different rates over the deal at different

times. Besides, he has been saying at different places that

we (government) had helped many persons...sometimes he says it

is Adani and sometimes Ambani," she said.

The Congress has accused the government of forcing

Dassault Aviation to make Reliance Defence its offset partner

for the Rs 58,000 crore deal to purchase 36 Rafale jets.

The Congress has alleged that the government was helping

the Anil Ambani group get a contract worth Rs 30,000 crore

from the deal.

However, the Reliance Group, in a statement, has said

Dassault Aviation's investment in Reliance Airport Developers

Limited has no link with the Rafale fighter jet deal, and has

accused Congress of resorting to "blatant lies" for political

gains.

The minister declined to comment on AIADMK MP and Lok

Sabha deputy Speaker M Thambidurai's charge that the Centre

has not released Rs 18,000 crore pending funds for Tamil Nadu

for various schemes,saying that she did not know what he had

specifically said.

Sitharaman said she however had a letter from Tamil Nadu

Chief Minister K Palaniswami, thanking her for helping the

state secure the release of amount.

She declined to take further questions on the Rafale

issue.

Thambidurai had said in response to union minister Pon

Radhakrishnan's comment that he should 'self introspect' when

he asked for speedy disbursal of the amount, that the centre

might announce schemes, but it was the state government

which implements them.

Funds are essential for implementation of any scheme,

he had said.

The minister, who was here to participate in the

announcement of 12 schemes as support and outreach for MSMEs

by the Prime Minister through videoconferencing, said 182

applications had so far been uploaded, seeking loans and in

principle approval given for Rs 47.50 crore for MSMEs in

Coimbatore.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)