Rafale Deal Row : Rahul Gandhi Tweets Four Questions For Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Challenges Him For A Debate

Picture : Twitter.com / INCINDIA

Congress president Rahul Gandhi continued his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Rafale deal and used a purported audio clip to allege that Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar is ‘blackmailing’ Modi with a file on the Rs 58,000 crore jet deal ‘lying in his bedroom’.

Citing an audio clip of a conversation purportedly of Goa minister Vishwajit Rane, Gandhi said he can be heard clearly as saying that Parrikar told his cabinet during a meeting that all documents relating to the Rafale deal were with him.

Addressing a press conference hours after he spoke on the issue in Lok Sabha, Gandhi also dared Modi to have a one-on-one debate of just 20 minutes on the Rafale matter, saying the truth will come out.

He also alleged that the prime minister does not have guts to face questions.

Demanding answers from the prime minister on Parrikar’s purported claim, Gandhi asked if this was the reason why a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe was not being ordered. He said the entire country wants Modi to answer these questions.

“The Goa minister is saying clearly that Parrikar ji said in a cabinet meeting that he has a complete file on Rafale deal with all details and therefore, he can’t be disturbed. There may be other such audio tapes,” said the Congress chief.

The Congress along with other opposition parties are demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee to probe the Rs 58,000 crore deal.

“What Parrikar is doing is threatening the Prime Minister and blackmailing him in a way. We have been raising this for a long time.

“The question is what information is there in Parrikar’s bedroom and what files are there and what could be the impact on Narendra Modi,” Gandhi alleged.

Asked whether a probe would be ordered in the Rafale matter if Congress comes to power, Gandhi said it would be done ‘cent per cent’.

He also asked who raised the price of Rafale aircraft from Rs 526 crore to Rs 1,600 crore.

“The person who went to France with all pomp and show, he can’t reply and stand in Parliament, but it is the finance minister who is standing in defence and that too is hollow,” the Congress chief said while referring to Modi’s France visit in 2015 when he announced the deal.

Repeating his allegation that ‘chowkidar chor hai’, Gandhi said a JPC probe would clear throw two names — Anil Ambani and Narendra Modi — and will also bring out the fact that Ambani, who is under debt of Rs 45,000 crore, has been given a contract of Rs 30,000 crore.