No lessons learnt for 'The Wire'! Another incident of FAKE news claiming US-India Drone deal REJECTED

The Wire"s defence propagandist Ajai Shukla in his "FAKE NEWS" claimed that the US government has blocked the sale of 31 Predator drones to India.

NewsBharati    02-Feb-2024 13:02:03 PM
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It 'is said that there is no better guru than our own mistakes, but only if you are good 'shishya'. Then there are people who learn it the hard way. And then there is the third category that thinks they know everything but it is not really so, which is why they end up committing the same mistake over and over again.

The false narrative running portal 'The Wire' evidently tops in the third group as we have yet another case of 'FAKE NEWS'. The left-inclined news portal, which was earlier caught by the Indian Judiciary peddling fake news against the Made in Bharat vaccine "Covaxin', has now once again landed in controversy for reporting another 'FAKE NEWS'. Naturally, this fake news was later circulated by Pakistani outlets like Pakistan Today and presented as newsworthy.
 
The Wire

 
What is the 'Fake News'

 
On 31st January 2024, the left-wing propaganda portal The Wire's defence propagandist Ajai Shukla in his 'FAKE NEWS' claimed that the US government has blocked the sale of 31 Predator drones to India. In their defence segment, they presented a narrative titled “US Halts $3-Billion Drone Sale to India Thorough Pending Comprehensive Investigation of Pannun Assassination Conspiracy.”
 

What they Reported 

 
Referring to another source from news portal 'Washington' that is also reputed of serving the 'fake-news' agenda against India, Shukla claimed that the US govt has blocked the delivery of “MQ-9A Sea Guardian and Sky Guardian drones until the India govt carries out a meaningful investigation” into the alleged conspiracy to assassinate Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
 
 
 
Ajai Shukla further claimed that the US has also held back the proposal to sell six more Boeing P-8I Poseidon aircraft to the Indian Navy. The report was based on a “highly-placed source in Washington” who allegedly revealed it to Shukla. Additionally, it reported that Prime Minister Narendra Modi downplayed the impact on Indo-US ties, emphasizing robust bipartisan support for the relationship.
 

Who is Ajai Shukla 

 
Retd. Col Ajai Shukla is infamous for his conspiracy theories. Earlier he claimed that the Pulwama attacks were orchestrated by Pakistan Army and ISI with the aim of securing Modi’s re-election.
 
 
 

How their agenda busted 

 
Just a day after it, the Hindustan Times published a report saying that the US Congress has approved the sale of the drones to India. In the news, they informed that the US State Department informed Predator Drone manufacturer General Atomics that the US Congress has cleared the ‘tiered review’ of the 31 MQ9B drone sale to India and official Congressional notification will be submitted within 24 hours. General Atomics has conveyed this information to the Indian Government, including the national security establishment.
 

US Government's reaction?  

 
Apart from that report, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller during the regular press briefing made it clear that there is no truth in reports that the deal has been blocked by the US govt. This comes after a reporter asked him whether the report by The Wire was true or fake. The question asked was, “According to a media report, the United States lost $3 billion drone sales to India until the meaningful investigation of Sikh leader Pannun's assassination conspiracy. Is it true or just fake news?”
 
Responding to the report, the US State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller dismissed the report saying a ‘nice try’. By using words like ‘it offers significant potential’, the State Department spokesperson has made it clear that the deal is on, and there is no truth in claiming that it has been blocked by the Biden administration.
 
 
 
He stated, “Generally, the US-India Defence Partnership has seen significant growth over the past decade. The drone deal is a proposed sale that was announced during Prime Minister Modi’s visit last year. We believe it offers significant potential to further advance strategic technology cooperation with India and military cooperation in the region. Congress plays an important role in the US arms transfer process. We routinely consult with the members of Congress on the Foreign Affairs Committees before our formal notification so we can address questions that they might have.”
 
Responding to the India-US drone deal Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs said,“This specific issue pertains to the United States. They have established internal procedures, and we acknowledge and respect that.”
 
Another Mistake  
 
Interestingly, they not only provided fake news but also provided the wrong information about the drone system that India is purchasing from the US.
 
It should be noted that the Indian govt is purchasing 31 MQ9B Predator drones from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, not 9A Sea Guardian or Sky Guardian drones. The 9A version of the drone made by General Atomics is called “Reaper”. India is not purchasing the 9A version, the deal is for the 9B version of the UAV with two variants for the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy.
 
The MQ-9B SeaGuardian is a drone designed with a focus on maritime applications created by General Atomics, this drone has the capability to operate through satellite connectivity for more than 30 hours, regardless of diverse weather conditions. The drone is engineered to “safely integrate into civil airspace, enabling to deliver real-time situational awareness anywhere in the maritime domain day or night.”
The Wire fake news MQ-9B SeaGuardian US Drone India