Centre bargained, purchased Rafale jets at best prices, says Union Minister Pralhad Joshi

Responding to the claims made by a French portal that Rafale jets makers paid 7.5 million Euros to middlemen between 2007 and 2012, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Tuesday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) does not know about the bribe amount.

"We (BJP) don't know about the bribe amount given between 2007 and 2012. We just bargained a lot and purchased Rafale jets at the best prices to support our air force," Joshi toldwhen asked about the allegations by Congress against BJP that the ruling party is running 'operation' clean up in Rafale jets matter.

Congress and BJP have levelled allegations against each other over the Rafale deal.

Hitting out at the Centre over the new media reports on the Rafale deal, Congress on Tuesday alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government is running away from Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the matter.

Congress General Secretary Organisation KC Venugopal said the government should institute a JPC probe into the deal.

Reacting to the report on a French news portal, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said that Sushen Gupta, who received alleged payoffs, was appointed by the Dassault Aviation in 2000 when the BJP-led government was in power.

BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra on Tuesday alleged corruption by the Congress party in the Rafale deal between 2007 to 2012 and termed the party as "I Need Commission (INC)".

"We all saw the way the opposition parties, especially the Congress party, tried to create a false atmosphere regarding Rafale before the 2019 elections. They felt that this would give him some political advantage," Patra said.

( With inputs from ANI )