France issues statement on Rahul Gandhi's charge on Rafale deal, says pact sensitive

The French government on Friday issued a statement after Congress president Rahul Gandhi questioned the NDA government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Lok Sabha over the Rafale deal.

Speaking on security agreement with India, the statement said, “France and India concluded in 2008 a security agreement, which legally binds the two states to protect the classified information provided by the partner that could impact security and operational capabilities of the defence equipment of India or France.”

"These provisions naturally apply to the IGA concluded on 23 September 2016 on the acquisition of 36 Rafale aircraft and their weapons. As the President of the French Republic indicated publicly in an interview given to India Today on 9th March 2018. In India and in France, when a deal is very sensitive, we can’t reveal all details," the statement said.

However,  in an interview to India Today on March 8, the French President Emmanuel Macron said that Narendra Modi can share Rafale deal details with Opposition, "If Narendra Modi government wants to divulge some of the critical information covered under the secrecy clause of the deal, France would not object to it."

"The Defence Minister has spoken 'untruth'....The French prime minister has personally told me that there is no secret pact between the Indian and the French governments," Gandhi said demanding that the Prime Minister must answer why this contract was given to a particular businessman after taking it away from the Hindustan Aeronautical Ltd.

"Everybody understands the relationship the prime minister has with certain people. Everybody understands the amount of money that goes into the marketing of the prime minister and everybody knows who have funded that. One of those people was given the Rafale contract.. The gentleman benefited to the tune of Rs 45,000 crore," Gandhi alleged.