Rafale deal finalised at $8.8 bn, says BJP

New Delhi, April 20: Even as the government has chosen to remain tight-lipped on the price bargain related to purchase of Rafale fighter jets from France, the BJP on Wednesday announced on its official Facebook page that the deal has been finalised at $8.8 billion.

An image posted on Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) official Facebook page said the Narendra Modi-led government "saved $3.2 billion (Rs.21,000 crore) out of the $12 billion (Rs.80,000 crore) deal".

"The deal to buy 36 state-of-the-art Rafale aircrafts from France at $12 billion (around Rs.80,000 crore) was re-negotiated and finalised at $8.8 billion (around Rs.59,000 crore)," the post, which has an image of Prime Minister Modi on it, said.

The defence ministry refused to comment on the figure.

On Tuesday, Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh said most of the roadblocks in negotiations on the Rafale deal had been overcome and it is likely to go to the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) soon.

Earlier, sources said the negotiations over pricing had almost concluded, and the deal would be final soon.

The defence ministry has not officially quoted any figure for the deal for the fighter aircraft which is one of the most expensive in the world.

In January this year, both sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the purchase during the visit of French President Francois Hollande to India.

IANS