What did Congress say on purchase of F-35 fighter planes from America?

Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Surjewala has attacked PM Narendra Modi over buying F-35 fighter planes from the US. He said that no advice was taken from the Air Force in this matter. Not only this, US President Donald Trump's advisor and DoG chief Elon Musk has also called these planes junk.

In such a situation, why did the PM agree to buy 100 such planes at the cost of Rs 1 lakh crore? Why is the country's hard-earned money being spent? Surjewala has raised 10 questions. He asked whether the Indian Air Force wants to buy F-35 fighter planes in accordance with the country's defense interests? Was the Air Force's opinion taken on this?

He also asked why the committee of Indian Air Force pilots and defense experts did not make any recommendation to buy these planes after investigation and neither did the Defense Acquisition Council, which decides defense purchase deals, make any such recommendation. 

The Congress leader asked why did the PM take a unilateral decision? Surjewala said that the PM had a long conversation with Musk but why did he not take any advice on this issue? The cost of one aircraft is Rs 968 crore. If 100 such aircraft are bought, then Rs 1 lakh crore will be spent.

What Pentagon report says?

Surjewala said whether the hard earned money of the people of the country should be spent like this. The US security agency Pentagon itself has said in a report on these aircraft that they do not meet the operational capacity. Surjewala said that the PM should tell whether he had read this report of the Pentagon? There is also a design problem in the oxygen system in these aircraft. 

The US government's Government Accountability Office itself has stated in the report that more than half of the aircraft in the F 35 fleet are not fit to fly at any time. The maintenance cost for the operation of this aircraft has increased continuously.

America is not ready to transfer their technology to India

Surjewala said that the PM is ready to buy these aircrafts at a time when America is not ready to transfer their technology to India, whereas Russia and many other countries are ready for transfer of technology along with manufacturing the fifth generation fighter aircraft in India. Should this not be an important criterion in the country's biggest defense purchase in 15 years?