Govt's handling of communication on the Rafale deal has been poor to say the least. Instead of putting out straight facts, it has got into convoluted explanations, tying itself in knots. This morning reading another report on Rafale I decided to revisit my notes from 2015-16.
Based on the notes and conversations in those months, here's what I recall happened. Some of the developments are in the book (see photos). Others facts are still in my notes, but not in the book since I didn’t want to clutter it with minutiate.
As negotiations in the MMRCA contract were going nowhere (see images in the the previous tweet) , PM Modi announced an INTENTION to buy 36 Rafales off the shelf during his visit to Paris. But it took another 17 months to sign the contract to buy 36 Rafales. Why?
Because, the Indian negotiating team drove a very hard bargain with the French. So much so that, on January 26, 2016, when everything looked set for PM Modi and President Hollande to sign an MoU, the price negotiating team held firm. The MoU was signed without mentioning price
It took another nine months for the two sides to overcome all hurdles in negotiations including objections by then JS (Air) and Acquisition Manager (Air). The JS’ objections were overruled by his immediate boss ( a legitimate process in govt decision making).
The same JS’, according to my notes from that time, prepared the cabinet note for signing the deal (and not someone else), which was passed by the Defence Acquisition Council in the first week of September 2016.
The same note was then put up for approval by the Cabinet Committee on Security in mid-Sept. The deal was signed on 23rd Sept. The officer meanwhile went on to attend a pre-scheduled, weeklong course in the UK (between 18-23 September 2016)—for which he had applied in July 2016!
Those who have worked in or watched government functioning are aware that officers are expected to have differing opinions. Senior functionaries and ministers are fully empowered to overrule or concur. In the Rafale case another officer and Parrikar as minister used that right.
And got a deal with better terms, better price and better delivery. (For more, read my book, Securing India, the Modi Way—a blatant pitch for my book but thoda chalta hai 😀).
From my book 
