NEW DELHI: Dismissing allegations against the 36 Rafale jets deal, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman here today said that there can be no comparison between the Bofors guns scam and the procurement of the fighter jets.“Don’t compare it (Rafale deal) with the Bofors. There is no scam here,” Sitharaman told reporters when asked whether the Rafale deal will go the Bofors way.There were allegations that pay-offs were made in procurement of the artillery guns from Swedish arms manufacturer AB Bofors in late 1980s during the then Congress government. He claimed, “After our negotiations with Rafale and before moving the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), I had — as per the norm — approached the finance ministry for financial approval. The finance ministry said the lifecycle cost clause in the agreement was a new concept and thus not acceptable to them. The per aircraft cost of the previous deal would have come to 99 million euros,” explained sources.

Source: Economic Times March 03, 2018 13:16 UTC