Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said, “The matter was crystal clear from the beginning and we have been saying that the allegations levelled by the Congress were baseless and to gain political mileage.” (Express photo by Tashi Tobgyal/File)After the Supreme Court dismissed multiple pleas seeking a court-monitored probe into the Rafale fighter jet deal, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Friday demanded an apology from the Congress and its president Rahul Gandhi for their allegations they had made against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that Gandhi tried to mislead people for political benefit.
“The Congress President tried to mislead public for political benefit and maligned India’s image globally. He should apologize to the House and to the people of the country. He thought ‘Hum to doobe hain sanam tum ko bhi le doobenge’ (I have drowned so I will take you and drown),” he said.
The Home Minister said, “The matter was crystal clear from the beginning and we have been saying that the allegations levelled by the Congress were baseless, and made to gain political mileage.”
BJP president Amit Shah also welcomed the verdict saying that it exposed the ‘campaign of misinformation’ by Gandhi. Shah tweeted that the court veridct “raises obvious questions on the motive of those working to discredit the deal, which is important for India.”
Truth always triumphs! Court’s judgment on the Rafale deal exposes the campaign of misinformation spearheaded by Congress President for political gains. The court didn’t find anything wrong with the process nor did it find any commercial favouritism in the deal. #SCNailsRaGaLies
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) December 14, 2018
On the contrary SC held that govt had no role in selecting offset partners & found no merit in the demand for a probe based on mere perception of individuals. It therefore raises obvious questions on the motive of those working to discredit the deal, which is important for India.
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) December 14, 2018
Welcoming the judgement, BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said, “Every deal is not Bofors deal.”
“It is the culture and tradition of Congress and its top leadership to mint money from such deals on the cost of country’s national security,” he said.
Hussain also demanded that Gandhi and the Congress apologise to Modi for making false allegations and questioning the prime minister’s credibility.
The apex court Friday said it was satisfied with the procurement process of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France’s Dassault Aviation and that it found no reason to interfere in the pricing or the offset partner chosen as part of the deal.
“(There is) no occasion to doubt the process of decision making in the award of contract for the purchase of 36 Rafale jets. It is not the Court’s job to get into comparative pricing details,” a three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, said.
The apex court said, “We don’t find any material to show that it’s commercial favouritism.” “We are satisfied that there is no occasion to doubt the process. A country can not afford to be underprepared. It is not correct for the court to sit as an appellant authority and scrutinise all aspects.”
