The Comptroller and Auditor General’s report on the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France’s Dassault Aviation has not yet been tabled in Parliament. There are indications that the government might table it on Wednesday—the last day of the 16th Lok Sabha. While it is safe to assume the report will give the government a clean chit, the fact that the CAG report is being brought to Parliament in this manner, at this late hour, means there will be no meaningful debate on its findings. Earlier, it was thanks to the Supreme Court (which gave the government a clean chit late last year) that the public got to know of the existence of the same CAG report. The Supreme Court had even said that this report had been examined by a parliamentary committee. Given all this smoke and mirrors, it’s hardly surprising that even now we are none the wiser about the multi-billion-dollar deal. The confusing shifts in stance and refusal to share details by a government that came to power on the promise of rooting out corruption and bringing in transparency is inexplicable.
