HomeEconomy News'I don't lie': Dassault Aviation chief Eric Trappier hits back at Rahul Gandhi's allegations on JV with Reliance Defence

'I don't lie': Dassault Aviation chief Eric Trappier hits back at Rahul Gandhi's allegations on JV with Reliance Defence

Amid the Rafale deal controversy, Eric Trappier, the chief of Dassault Aviation denied Congress president Rahul Gandhi's allegations on lying about the details of the Dassault-Reliance Defence joint venture (JV) for offset contracts in the deal, in an interview with ANI.

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By CNBC-TV18 November 13, 2018, 1:35:32 PM IST (Updated)

'I don't lie': Dassault Aviation chief Eric Trappier hits back at Rahul Gandhi's allegations on JV with Reliance Defence
Amid the Rafale deal controversy, Eric Trappier, the chief of Dassault Aviation denied Congress president Rahul Gandhi's allegations on lying about the details of the Dassault-Reliance Defence joint venture (JV) for offset contracts in the deal

, in an interview with ANI
.

"I don't lie. The truth I declared before and the statements I made are true. I don't have a reputation of lying. In my position as CEO, you don't lie," Trappier said.

Gandhi has been accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi for forcing the French company to select Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence as an offset partner to help it "pocket" Rs 30,000 crore.

"Dassault invested Rs 284 crore in the company of Anil Ambani. He bought land with the same money. This is clear that Dassault CEO is lying. Why did they invest Rs 284 crore in a loss-making company?", Gandhi had said in a press conference held on November 2.

Gandhi further said, "If an inquiry starts on this, Modi is not going to survive it. This is guaranteed."

On this allegation, Trappier said, "We are not putting the money into Reliance. The money is going into the joint venture (Dassault-Reliance). Engineers and workers from Dassault are taking the lead as far as the industrial part of the deal is concerned."

The aircraft maker, after the French publishing house claimed that an internal report said it was “imperative and mandatory” to get the Rafale export contract to India, clarified that they had "freely chosen" the Reliance Defence for a partnership.

"We chose Ambani by ourselves. We already have 30 partners other than Reliance Defence. The Indian Air Force (IAF) is supporting the deal because they need the fighter jets for their own defence to be at the top," Trappier clarified the company's claims again.

Trappier also told the news agency that the company has 'a long experience' with the Congress, and Dassault Aviation has been working with India. He reiterated that the aim was to supply the fighter jets to IAF and the government and work with a political party.

Findings by French publishing house, Mediapart, other news companies and allegations made by Gandhi have led the Supreme Court to ask the government to submit an affidavit of the deal's pricing details in a sealed cover.

The centre on Monday complied with a Supreme Court order and handed over to petitioners, who sought a court-monitored CBI probe into the procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France, the document detailing the decisions taken to procure the aircraft.

(With inputs from agencies)
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