Rafale deal finalised, says BJP

New Delhi:The government may have not made a final announcement on the Rafale deal yet but for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) it has been "finalised" and the Modi government has saved over Rs 21,000 crores in the "re-negotiation" with the French government.
"The deal to buy 36 state of the art Rafale aircraft from France at $12 billion (Rs 80,000 crore) was re-negotiated and finalised at $8.8 billion (around Rs 59,000 crore)," a tweet by the BJP said.
The government "saved" public money and the deal resulted in gain of "technological knowledge" and "strengthening the air power to defend the border", it said.
Officially, the negotiation between India and France are at an advanced stage. Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh had said on Tuesday that the two countries had resolved most of the "hitches" in the multi-billion euro Rafale deal and the remaining issues will be cleared in the next DAC meet, scheduled to be held on Thursday.
Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha had said, "It (deal) is at a very advanced stage."