India to Britain: We don't need the 'peanuts' you offer us in aid .

” It's not much different than offering India a sale price or a rebate on the planes, except in this case India is getting the rebate up front and is being asked to use the money to help malnourished Indians. I'm not a lawyer, so maybe there is something terribly wrong with it that I am overlooking, but I simply fail to understand why it is so bad.”

Its bad because its not really a rebate. If they really wanted to give a rebate they could have actually offered a rebate on the price of the aircraft. If the so-called “aid” had anything to do with the aircraft deal then maybe the Indians didn't get the hint. The French emerged at the lowest bidder and they won the competition fair and square on all capability parameters. Personally I see the “aid” package as an attempt to bribe the government to peddle and inferior product. I am glad it didnt work.

I m sorry that you feel your tax payer money is going away ungrateful foreign countries. However you dont play by the rules you dont get the correct results. Indian taxpayers also dont want their tax money (a lot more money actually) going to a another county selling inferior product only because they got bribe packaged as “aid”.

Your example is totally silly to begin with. The French had a more attractive offer for a better price. So the Brits pulled a fast one and gave away freebie junk to entice the Indians. Indians took the freebie but still went with the French. Now the Brits are throwing a tantrum over their freebies. Whats wrong with that? Everything! You dont give away stuff pretending its “free” then and then turn around and make it an obligation on part of the buyer to buy their product because he accepted the freebies. That sort of con game will not stand in any court in US or elsewhere.

As I see it, the greedy grubby outstretched fingers actually belong to the Europeans and Brits who are scrambling like hungry dogs for their piece of meat.

As for “Capitalism”, American and Europeans have long forgotten about Capitalism. Their current economic situation is proof of that. Someone should have told the Brits their government subsidy surreptitiously packaged as unselfish “aid” isn't enough to win a free and fair competition. Maybe the American and Europeans need lesson on Capitalism from Indians and Chinese now.

India doesn't have a “war industrial complex”. I believe you are talking about US-UK. You need a war industry in order to have a “war industrial complex”. India doesn't have a war industry. Most of India's military equipment comes from overseas.

As for political existence via defense deals..... if you actually know anything about India and the bofors gun deal.....defense deals are the worst political nemesis of any political party/government in India. That's the reason why Indian defense procurement takes EONS.

The defense deal we are talking about in the article has been one of the most cleanest and most transparent deals in the history of India. It wasn't a political deal and there were no allegation of kickbacks.....except for this minor issue of “aid”.

What you are talking about is very true of US and UK, but not India.

I don’t think it’s fair to say Mr. Friendly Widget Seller threw a tantrum. It’s rather more accurate to say some of his dogs growled and barked a bit at Mr. Widget Buyer from their kennels. But what can a guy do?

Here is a report where Britain’s International development minister talks about aid being part of a strategy to develop trade, including the sale of fighter jets-

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/britain-must-continue-giving-aid-to-india-to-secure-66bn-fighter-jet-deal-says-minister-16092307.html

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