This statement is self contradictory.
If the work can commence due to government waiver, then why wait for Congress approval?
If the work cannot commence, then what was the point of the waiver?
Work on the engine aspect could have commenced after the US congress approval anyways. What is the point of GOI waiver then?
You are complicating things in your mind a lot. It seems you are unaware of how things move.
First the designers have to take "
In principle approval" from GoI for designing. CCS has already approved it in August 2022 and grant 10,000 crore for prototype development.
Now they have to release the budget. For that they have to give a detailed project report where they have to mention the development partners along with their experience, technologies which have been already developed and details of techs which has to be acquired. Now in this part, they can't go on and say that we are planning to do this and that.
Now ADA has already fixated upon 414 to power Mk2. But you have to remember that the Principle Approval has been provided only for prototypes. So DRDO/ADA/HAL or any development partner could invest on their own for the required engines. But as a project, unless and until they submit the report that it would be 414, which would be powering all the Mk2's, go ahead would not be given unless and until a deal is finalized for that.
The recent congress approval comes here. In backdrop of the
project development, MoD and MEA has worked on the deal. The waiver has came just before the approval. This is the stage where Tejas suffered as in DPR it was Kaveri which was envisioned as the engine to power Tejas. But later on we had to sign two different deals for 404.
Now if you think that this is complicated because of Babus and politicians, let me tell you, even in private companies, things do work in same way.