The revelation with documentary proof was damaging because the government had all along been saying that the Rafale negotiations were conducted by the Indian Negotiating Team, headed by a deputy chief of air staff of the Indian Air Force. The file noting by then defence secretary G. Mohan Kumar was made on a letter issued in the name of the deputy secretary (air II). In the “full page”, below Mohan’s noting was one by Parrikar himself, jotted down on January 11, 2016, over a month after the defence secretary made his concern known. Sec to P.M.”The letter’s “Para 5” — the operative paragraph that rekindled the Rafale debate — states: “It is, therefore, clear that such parallel discussions by the PMO has weakened the negotiating position of MoD and Indian Negotiating Team. We may advise PMO that any Officers who are not part of the Indian Negotiating Team may refrain from having parallel parleys with the officers of the French government.

Source: The Telegraph February 08, 2019 21:33 UTC