More toxic than Rafale: Jaitapur nuclear deal, one Modi pushed on the same 2015 day in France

[dropcap]A[/dropcap]lthough the Rafale deal has been partially overshadowed by newer issues in the age of 24×7 media, it refuses to sink into oblivion. After a brief interlude, the Rafale circus hit town again earlier this month with the French media portal, Mediapart claiming that it was "imperative" and "mandatory" for Dassault Aviation to choose Reliance as its offset partner to seal the fighter jet deal. The claim appeared even more plausible with the hurried departure of the Indian Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to France recently, especially in view of the Supreme Court seeking details from the Centre on the decision-making process for the deal. And now, with news of the CBI fiasco and its purported connection to the Rafale deal, it is likely that the alleged mega-scam will resurface in an even bigger way, soon.

While the Rafale deal has already seriously undermined the credibility of the BJP-led government, especially on its claims of zero-tolerance for corruption, there is yet another agreement, with far greater potential consequences, which had received a renewed push on the same day that the Rafale deal was inked in 2015, which is little known or debated in the country.

Nuclear myopia amidst financial meltdown

On April 10, 2015, India and France had jointly announced a statement calling for an "early conclusion of the techno-commercial agreement" for the world's largest nuclear power project in Maharashtra's Jaitapur. Ironically, when the Narendra Modi-led NDA government had still not arrived on the scene, the BJP had been vociferous and consistent in opposing the deal on the grounds of safety, liability, and cost, without ever questioning the rationale for the imprudent push for nuclear energy per se.