India's defence minister faced new questions Thursday over a 2016 deal to buy Rafale fighter jets from France, which critics say unfairly profited a key backer of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reports The Economic Times.
Speaking at a briefing in Paris, Nirmala Sitharaman reiterated the government's claim that it had no idea the jets' builder, Dassault Aviation, would team up with Reliance Group, run by Anil Ambani.
Several reports say Dassault was forced to choose Reliance by Modi, despite its having almost no experience in the aviation sector.
"We are very clear: With the government of France, we agreed to purchase 36 Rafale aircraft in flyaway condition," Sitharaman said.
"And in an intergovernmental agreement, there are no mentions of any individual firms," she said.
Pressed on whether India would go ahead with the deal amid a chorus of "crony capitalism" claims and complaints filed by Indian anti-corruption groups, the minister adopted a more combative tone.
"It is more for the companies which have chosen A, B or C as their partners to answer questions if there are any," she said.
Dassault on Wednesday contested the Mediapart report, saying it had "freely chosen" to form a joint venture with Reliance.
Read more of this report from The Economic Times.