New Delhi: The Rafale deal negotiated by the Narendra Modi government was cheaper than the UPA offer, the Comptroller and Auditor General has observed.The NDA deal was 2.86% cheaper than the one negotiated the UPA government, according to a CAG report tabled in parliament on Wednesday.Arun Jaitely said that the CAG’s report exposed the “lies” of the Congress.Also read: Anil Ambani Visited French Defence Officials Just Before Rafale Deal, Leaked Email SuggestsCongress chief Rahul Gandhi had dismissed CAG Rajiv Mehrishi’s report even before it was released. “CAG is Chowkidaar Auditor General report, written by Chowkidaar, audited by Chowkidaar,” Gandhi, who has been alleging that the Modi dispensation has seriously compromised autonomy of public institutions, had said.Congress President Rahul Gandhi: CAG report is a worthless report. I would term it as a ‘Chowkidar Auditor General Report’. It is Narendra Modi’s report, written for the Chowkidar, on behalf of the Chowkidar, for the Chowkidar by the Chowkidar. #Rafale pic.twitter.com/F5GZRceZyG— ANI (@ANI) February 12, 2019Prior to his appointment as the CAG, Mehrishi served as the finance secretary and then the home secretary in the Modi government.Sitaram Yechury, head of the Communist Party of Indian (Marxist), said that the CAG had a conflict of interest. He also said that the government was not revealing crucial details, such as a dissent note by three members of the Indian Negotiating Team for the deal.Obviously, a govt which kept the Supreme Court in the dark, by submitting an unsigned, unauthenticated note, wouldn’t have given this to CAG. More so, when CAG is headed by a man facing a severe ‘conflict of interest’. A JPC must be formed, forthwith https://t.co/0MheprwE6S— Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) February 13, 2019CAG says that because of no bank guarantees in the present deal, it’s a saving for Dassault Aviation & NOT for Indian govt. The dissent note by Indian Negotiating Team members had worked out its financial impact to be at €574 million. So the Indian taxpayer lost €574 million!— Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) February 13, 2019Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati too said that the CAG’s report is incomplete and not “fully correct”.The much awaited CAG report on Rafale tabled in Rajya Sabha is neither complete nor fully correct in the eyes of public. Why constitutional bodies are under stress not been able to work with full honesty in the BJP government. Country is worried.— Mayawati (@Mayawati) February 13, 2019Former BJP leader and Union minister Yashwant Sinha, who has been one of the key voices questioning the Rafale deal, also questioned the CAG’s report.Nobody knows the price of Rafale fighter planes yet we are told to believe that the NDA price is cheaper than the UPA’s. Govt claimed it was 9% cheaper. CAG says it is 2.86% cheaper. Just shows how subjective the answer can be depending on who is giving it.— Yashwant Sinha (@YashwantSinha) February 13, 2019The Congress party too has said that the CAG’s report is unconvincing, particularly because it includes redacted numbers.This is the first time in history that a CAG report to Parliament has redacted numbers. This in itself raises a big question mark on the report.The comparison of the prices is based on the Aligned Price, the calculation of which is opaque. 1/5#RafaleCAGReport— Congress (@INCIndia) February 13, 2019You can read The Wire‘s coverage of the Rafale deal here.(With PTI inputs)