AUTO REFRESH ON In the morning, the Congress released the audio clip of a purported conversation between Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane and another person. In the recording, the person identified as Rane said that during a Cabinet meeting last week, Parrikar had told his colleagues he had "an entire file" on the Rafale deal lying in his bedroom, which could prove to be embarrassing for the BJP leadership.
Lok Sabha is set to resume debating the Rafale fighter jet deal, picking up after Opposition and government lawmakers attacked each other on Wednesday.
Congress president Gandhi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi "does not have guts" to come to Parliament and confront questions about the Rafale deal. At a press conference later, he used an audio clip to allege that Goa Chief Minister and former defence minister Manohar Parrikar was "blackmailing" Modi with a file on the
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, in the government's counterattack, said the tape was "false and fabricated". "This man lies and lies repeatedly," Jaitley said about Gandhi.
The Congress has issued a whip in both Houses of the Parliament, asking all its members to be present.
Here are live debates on the Rafale debate.