shot-button
Subscription Subscription
Home > News > India News > Article > Nirmala Sitharaman leaves for France to visit Dassault plant

Nirmala Sitharaman leaves for France, to visit Dassault plant

Updated on: 10 October,2018 11:05 PM IST  |  New Delhi
IANS |

Sitharaman, who will be in France till October 13, is leading a high-level delegation, which includes the Secretary, Defence Production

Nirmala Sitharaman leaves for France, to visit Dassault plant

Nirmala Sitharaman

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday evening left for France on a three-day visit that would see her visiting the Dassault Aviation production plant that manufactures Rafale fighter jets besides other engagements.


Sitharaman, who will be in France till October 13, is leading a high-level delegation, which includes the Secretary, Defence Production.


The Minister will be holding talks with her French counterpart Florence Parly on various bilateral issues pertaining to defence cooperation including expanding bilateral maritime security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, sources in the Defence Ministry said.


Last year, the French Defence Minister had visited India.

Meanwhile, Congress President Rahul Gandhi, whose party has been levelling allegations of crony capitalism and compromising national interest in the Rs 59,000-crore Rafale deal against Narendra Modi government, raised questions over the timing and purpose of Sitharaman's visit.

"The Supreme Court has asked for the Rafale decision making process. It's quite simple really... The Prime Minister decided. The processes to justify his decision are yet to be invented. But work has begun," Gandhi tweeted.

India is buying 36 Rafale jets from Dassault Aviation in a fly-away condition in a Rs 59,000-crore deal. The Congress has questioned the propriety of a newly-founded private company getting the Rs 30,000 crore Rafale offset contract at the cost of the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL).

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Except for the change in the headline, the story has been provided "AS-IS," "AS AVAILABLE, without any verification or editing from our side. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!


Mid-Day Web Stories

Mid-Day Web Stories

This website uses cookie or similar technologies, to enhance your browsing experience and provide personalised recommendations. By continuing to use our website, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. OK