Exclusive Interview
with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar
with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar
By Harish Gupta (National Editor-Lokmat) Excerpts:
Q: You said the Defence was worst performing sector under UPA, from negative growth you brought it up to zero and now moving up?
A: What I said was that decisions were not being taken in time. I don't want to discuss the past. You only have to look into the reports what CAG has said. You will know everything. Country knows it.
Q: How many projects got delayed like the Nalanda Ordinance Factory?
A:
You see when decisions are not taken, projects will be delayed. The CAG
said how critically required arms and ammunitions were not made
available.
Q: You said you are carrying a lot of old baggage, liability. What do you mean by this?
A: Obviously. But I don't have to say it. Everybody knows about it. Secondly, I am in a ministry where you don't talk.
Q: You said you are carrying a lot of old baggage, liability. What do you mean by this?
A: Obviously. But I don't have to say it. Everybody knows about it. Secondly, I am in a ministry where you don't talk.
Q: Your predecessor A K Antony has alleged you have compromised National Security and defence spending was lowest ever at 85% under NDA's first year ?
A: He should correct his figures. He is wrong on the figures. He has taken figures only up to February 2015 and forgot to include March completely. We have already written to the parliamentary under secretary in this regard.
Q: What is the correct figure ?
A: It was 99.75%.
Q: So Mr Antony was wrong on facts ?
A: Well yes. But I don't blame him because at times you get the figures from committees which are not up-dated.
Q: But he says you have compromised National Security ?
A: Let him say what he wants to say. It's a very generic statement. You have to be very specific. You can't be casual about it. I don't see security being compromised anywhere, anytime. I corrected him on Defence budget spending figures. But how can I comment when there is no specific issue.
Q: What about the Mountain Strike Corps which was created by the UPA and they say you abandoned it ?
A: You see, they approved the creation of Mountain Strike Corps without allocating single pie for it. Can you imagine this ? A full Corp without allocating any money ?
Q: What did you do ?
A: I am spending money on this Corp. I am taking the decision forward. I only said until the current half of it which has been raised, is properly settled, we are not proceeding further. So there will be some sort of gap, some respite till we properly arrange the old one. Secondly, I will also find money from the existing sources by tightening belts somewhere.
Q: So they only created it without money ?
A: They did nothing except getting a Cabinet decision. No money was allocated.
Q: Rahul Gandhi also said UPA had provided ` 500 crores for One Rank One Pension (OROP). But NDA is sitting over it ?
A: You see these are attempts to try and grab credit when it happens and it is happening soon. They think people can be fooled by such talks.
Q: What is the cost ?
A: (Parrikar takes out a copy of Parliamentary Committee report and hands over to me). You read this…. See the figure … Its ` 1300 crores. Had it been even this amount, there would have been no problem.
Q: So there is a problem ?
A: You see, it's a problem everyone talks about it. But no one knows about it. It's a very complex issue. I have studied it very minutely and you will know about it.
Q: So when do we hear about it ?
A: Very soon.
Q: You said NDA has new ideas, some out-of- the -box thinking. Anything in particular you would like to mention?
A: You see, in order to find solutions to problems, you have to think out-of-the box. You can't follow the routine path to solve long pending ticklish issues.
Q: Like the PM said Lakir se hutkar sochna chahiye ?
A: Yes. The PM think differently to find solutions. Otherwise what is the use of political leadership. Congress leaders also thought out-of-the-box ways and means. But they thought differently only to make money.
Q: At least give one example of this Out-of-the Box thinking ?
A: Can't you see what PM has done in the Rafale deal! It was going on since 2006, hanging for eight years. Rafale was declared as Lowest bidder in 2012. But nothing moved. The Prime Minister did out-of-the-box thinking and you will know when full details come out.
Q: You said your crack negotiation team will bring down prices by 30-40%.
A: I never quantified it. I only say it will be much cheaper. The team is on the job and you will see when it is announced.
Q: But Antony said the Rafale deal was delayed because Yashwant Sinha of BJP & others wrote letters ?
A: So I should stop taking decisions because letters come. I also get such letters. What you do ? You get it verified and move on. But you don't stop work, you don't sleep over it. They found innovative ways to make money.
Q: How ?
A: You tell me why did they bring the Land Bill.
Q: What was the scam in it ?
A: Remember the SEZ scheme? Who grabbed lakhs of acres of farmers land at dirt cheap rates of farmers during the UPA ? When it became the biggest ever land scam as farmers' land was given to SEZ promoters, then they panicked and brought the Land Bill to become Farmers messiahs.
Q: Tell me how many derailed projects you have cleared ?
A: I don't treat it as a figure. I can tell you during the last one year we have cleared projects, acquisitions roughly ` 1.20 lakh crores. And out of this, 80-90% will be Make in India.
