The defence ministry note raising strong objections over “parallel negotiations” conducted by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) with the French side has kicked off a political storm with opposition picking up fresh ammo on the issue ahead of the Lok Sabha election.
The note speaks of “parallel negotiations” but there is nothing on record to suggest that the PMO was discussing money. At the heart of the issue is the clause on bank and sovereign guarantees that the Indian Negotiating team was pushing while the French were adamant. What eventually emerged was a letter of comfort. The bone of contention is however about breaching the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) which defines the composition of the negotiating team. There can’t be any role for officials from the PMO to be in any sort of parallel negotiations. In this case it only means that laid down procedures have been short-circuited.
There is no denying the fact that Parrikar tried to quell Defence Secretary G Mohan Kumar’s apprehensions of the parallel negotiations, calling it as an overreaction. However, Parrikar has exposed more than what he could shield. He is on record claiming that PMO is monitoring the progress of the deal “which was an outcome of the summit meeting”. This statement itself goes to explain the involvement of the PMO, in stark contrast to what is being brought on record in the Supreme Court.
The defence ministry note stated that the parallel discussion by the PMO has weakened the negotiating position of the MoD and the Indian Negotiating Team. To this there is a further noting from Parrikar asking officials to ‘remain calm’. But the very fact that Parrikar is asking the defence secretary to resolve the issue in consultation with the principal secretary to the prime minister, prime facie indicates that there was an issue in the first place. The defence secretary by giving the PMO a clean chit over non-involvement in pricing is only trying to wriggle out of an uncomfortable situation.
The prime minister may well be within his right to supervise at his level, but the PMO involving in parallel negotiations is unprecedented. It sends signals of distrust between the PM and his defence ministry. There is no denying the fact that these parallel negotiations were in clear violation, even if the intentions of the PM were to expedite the deal. While the Opposition goes to town with the disclosure, there is nothing to suggest that there were compromises made on pricing.
With the Congress pushing for a JPC probe, it remains to be seen how the BJP steers away from yet another controversy on the much-talked about Rafale deal.
