During negotiations over the Rafale deal between India and France, the Defence Ministry reportedly “raised strong objections” to “parallel negotiations” conducted by the Prime Minister’s Office with France, according to a report in The Hindu.

The Hindu accessed a Defence Ministry note dated November 24, 2015, which reveals that the ministry “protested that the position taken by the PMO was ‘contradictory to the stand taken by MoD and the negotiating team'”.

The report says the note stated that“we may advise PMO that any Officers who are not part of Indian Negotiating Team may refrain from having parallel parlays [parleys] with the officers of French Government”. It also suggested: “in case the PMO is not confident about the outcome of negotiations being carried out by the MoD, a revised modality of negotiations to be led by PMO at appropriate level may be adopted in the case”. It added: “Such parallel negotiations may be detrimental to our interests as the French side may take advantage of same by interpreting such discussions to their benefit and weakening the position taken by Indian Negotiating Team. This has precisely happened in this case.”

The Hindu reports that details of the PMO’s “parallel negotiations” were discovered from a letter written by General Stephen Reb, the head of the French Negotiating Team, on October 23, 2015. The letter “made mention of a telephonic conversation between Shri Jawed Ashraf, Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office and Mr. Luis Vassy, Diplomatic Adviser to the French Minister of Defence, which took place on 20.10.2015.” The letter was then brought to the PMO’s notice by the Defence Ministry.

ANI accessed the Defence Ministry note mentioned in The Hindu report. However, the document that ANI has includes a written response to from then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. The image of the document accessed by The Hindu cuts off before Parrikar’s response.

Parrikar had written: “It appears that PMO and French President’s Office are monitoring the progress of the issue which was an outcome of the summit meeting. Para 5 appears to be an overreaction.”

Parrikar added that the defence secretary should “resolve” matters with the PMO.

ANI also spoke to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who said: “…the ethics of journalism will demand that the newspaper publishes the then Defence Minister’s reply as well”.