Why fear JPC probe if your conscience is clean?' NCP to Centre on Rafale Deal

Mumbai: In the wake of the Supreme Court dismissing the pleas challenging the Rafale deal, the NCP on Friday said the Modi government should not fear a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the issue if its conscience was clean.

In a relief to the NDA government, the apex court on Friday dismissed the pleas challenging the deal between India and France for procurement of 36 Rafale jets saying there was no occasion to "really doubt the decision making process" warranting setting aside of the contract.

"Honourable Supreme Court is correct in not interfering on the pricing decision of #Rafale. If the Modi government is clean in conscience, why fear a Joint Parliamentary Committee? What are they hiding? #RafaleDeal #RafaleVerdict," Maharashtra NCP chief Jayant Patil said on Twitter.

The apex court rejected the pleas seeking lodging of an FIR and the court-monitored probe alleging irregularities in the Rs 58,000 crore deal, in which both the countries have entered into an inter-governmental agreement (IGA).

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi dealt with "three broad areas of concern" raised in the petitions -- the decision making process, pricing and the choice of Indian offset partners (IOP) -- and said there was no reason for intervention by the court on the "sensitive issue" of purchase of 36 jets.