The French Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne said on Sunday that former President François Hollande’s claims on the Rafale deal between India and France “render no service to France”, reported The Indian Express.
“I believe that this small observation made abroad concerning the important relations between France and India does not do anyone any service, and certainly renders no service to France,” Lemoyne told Paris-based Radio J. Lemoyne was referring to Hollande’s statement made on the sidelines of a conference in Montreal on Saturday where he said Anil Ambani’s Reliance Defence group was part of a “new formula” put forward by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Rafale deal.
Lemoyne, however, did not contradict Hollande’s remarks or counter his allegation that the French government “did not have a choice” in choosing Ambani’s company Reliance Defence for the deal.
“As one is no longer in office, one is not best placed to reflect on a situation about aspects of the strategic partnership between India and France that have clearly aroused controversy in India,” Lemoyne said.
On Friday, a French media outlet quoted Hollande as saying that his government “did not have a say” in choosing Ambani’s company Reliance Defence for the Rafale deal. Hollande claimed the Indian government had proposed Reliance Defence’s name for the pact, which was agreed upon when he was president. India’s Ministry of Defence, the French government and defence firm Dassault Aviation, which manufactures the jets, have contradicted his claim.
Since Saturday, several Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, including Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Sitharaman, have refuted allegations made by the Congress against the Narendra Modi-led administration.
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