Why Manohar Parrikar’s Reply to Defence Ministry’s Rafale Note Does More Harm to The Modi Govt
Parrikar's reply supports the widely-held belief that the Defence Minister himself was kept out of the loop by the PMO while negotiating the Rafale deal.
PM Modi (L) and Manohar Parrikar (R) (Photo: Facebook)
Following the uproar over the The Hindu report that Defence Secretary’s note said Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) was running parallel negotiations with the French side on the Rafale Deal, defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman released the portion containing then Manohar Parrikar’s reply. The reply only adds fuel to the fire, inculpating the government further.
The note prepared by the defence ministry had strongly objected to the parallel negotiations being conducted by the PMO. In paragraph 5, the Defence Ministry said, “It is, therefore, clear that such parallel discussions by the PMO has weakened the negotiating position of the MoD and Indian Negotiation Team. We may advise PMO that any Officers who are not part of Indian Negotiating Team may refrain from having parallel parlays [parleys] with the officers of French Government.”
Then Defence Secretary G Mohan Kumar had written, “RM (Raksha Mantri) may pl. see. It is desirable that such discussions be avoided by the PMO as it undermines our negotiating position seriously.”
Also Read: Nirmala Sitharaman Admits Veracity of Rafale Note, Says What About NAC and Sonia Gandhi?
Parrikar’s reply to these objections was, “It appears that PMO and French President’s office are monitoring the issue which was an outcome of the summit meeting. Para 5 appears to be an overreaction.”
ANI accesses the then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s reply to MoD dissent note on #Rafale negotiations. "Defence Secretary (G Mohan) may resolve the matter in consultation with Principal Secretary to PM" pic.twitter.com/yXGQJNiDvB
— ANI (@ANI) February 8, 2019
Parrikar added, “Def Sec may resolve issue/matter in consultation with Pr. Sec to PM.”
As pointed out by many commentators, Parrikar’s reply, written over a month after the ministry’s note, supports the widely-held belief that the Defence Minister himself was kept out of the loop by the PMO while negotiating Rafale deal.
How can he claim that “para 5 is an over-reaction” when he had no direct knowledge of the status or content of the negotiations? His act of passing the matter for the Def Sec to resolve with PMO clearly shows he had no grounds on which to base his “over-reaction” assessment.
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) February 8, 2019
Parrikar saying that the Defence Secretary should resolve the issue with the Principal Secretary to the PM reconfirms that the PMO was interfering with the negotiations. The minister also said that it “appears” that the PMO was “monitoring” the deal, which again, does look like a making excuses for the PMO’s alleged interference.
The Hindu report and Parrikar's note make it clear beyond doubt that PMO had taken over deal negotiation sidelining the Defence Ministry and ignoring its protests. This is, for want of a better word, weird.
— Tony Joseph (@tjoseph0010) February 8, 2019
Yes, it does clarify that there was a weak – and late – attempt by the defence minister who was clearly out of the loop, to put lipstick on a pig – or suggest that the underhand deal-making was merely a 'monitoring' operation! https://t.co/fTKTqXOLVT
— Tony Joseph (@tjoseph0010) February 8, 2019
Parrikar’s attempt to defend the PMO’s action by calling the Defence Ministry’s objections an “overreaction” casts serious aspersions on his own role. Instead of taking the matter seriously and resolving or reporting the issue, Parrikar merely asks the defence secretary to “resolve the issue/matter” with the Principal Secretary to the PMO.
If there is no issue or problem, why is Parrikar saying that Defence Secretary should resolve the problem/matter with Principal Secretary to PM? It actually nails Modi more than anything else. (3/4)
— Jairaj Singh (@JairajSinghR) February 8, 2019
Many have pointed out that the government has scored a “self-goal” by releasing Parrikar’s notings. Considering the Modi government told the Supreme Court that it was the seven-member MoD team that was solely negotiating the deal, these serious revelations about the PMO’s interference suggest that the Modi government and the Prime Minister lied to the Supreme Court and the Indian public.
Also Read: Rafale Parallel Negotiations By PMO Weakened India’s Negotiating Team: Defence Ministry’s Note