Continuing to pressure Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government over the Rafale deal, the Congress on Tuesday alleged that the Modi government never appointed the anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal to avoid an investigation into the multi-billion dollar fighter jet deal.
Addressing a press conference along with party spokespersons Priyanka Chaturvedi and Jaiveer Shergil, former Union Minister Kapil Sibal said, “I will tell the Prime Minister that it’s only now we know why you have not appointed the Lokpal so far. If there was a Lokpal, truth would have come out.”
“Prime Minister, please forget about your acche din [good days] and bring sachche din [truthful days] and speak the truth,” he added, urging Mr. Modi to break his silence.
The party also rubbished the BJP’s allegation that Congress chief Rahul Gandhi wanted the Rafale deal scrapped to help a company with connections to his brother-in-law Robert Vadra. When the “government has been caught red-handed, it is resorting to mudslinging and abuse”.
“The tender was issued in 2007 August, and on December 12, 2012, it was opened ... and in March 13, 2014, the Congress government gave the offset contract to state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.,” spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told presspersons.
‘Whose PM?’
Making a counter allegation, the Congress said Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave it to Anil Ambani’s Reliance Defence.
“Are you Ambani’s PM, or the country’s Prime Minister,” he asked.
“To every Air Force officer and Jawan who has served India. To the family of every martyred Indian fighter pilot. To every person who ever worked for HAL. We hear your pain. We understand how you feel. We will bring to justice all those who dishonoured and stole from you,” Mr. Gandhi tweeted.
On Monday, the BJP alleged that Mr. Gandhi was involved in a conspiracy that had an “international dimension”, and former French President Francois Hollande was part of the “nexus” to sabotage the deal.
Union Minister of State for Agriculture Gajendra Shekhawat on Monday alleged that the UPA government had backtracked from the multi-billion dollar deal after a private company linked to Mr. Vadra was not chosen as a broker. “The Agriculture Minister was defending ‘Maximum Support Price’ to Reliance,” Mr. Sibal said.