New Delhi: Within two days of being called the “poster boy of Pakistan”, Congress president Rahul Gandhi Thursday threw the jibe back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also sought a probe against the PM for his role in the controversial Rafale fighter jets deal.

On Tuesday, Modi had used this description for opposition leaders citing Congress leader Digvijaya Singh’s remark calling the Pulwama terror attack an “accident”.

“PM got ISI to investigate Pathankot. PM’s going to Nawaz Sharif’s wedding and we are the poster boys? He is the poster boy of Pakistan,” said Gandhi at a press conference in New Delhi.

In December 2015, Modi had attended the wedding of Sharif’s grand-daughter in Lahore.

Gandhi said it was also Modi who called Sharif for his swearing-in ceremony in 2014.

“Modi is the poster boy of Pakistan and not us. We didn’t go and hug Nawaz Sharif and we didn’t let the ISI to Pathankot.”

IAF strikes

Asked if proof of the Indian Air Force’s 26-February Balakot strike should be sought from the Modi government, Gandhi said the demand has come from the families as they are hurt.

“They (the families) have this feeling. They are hurt so they want to see the proof. But our leaders have already spoken a lot on this and I don’t wish to say more,” said Gandhi.

The families of some of the “martyrs of the Pulwama attack” have sought proof of the strike’s casualties as doubts linger over what exactly happened at Balakot.

‘Probe PM into Rafale deal’

After attorney general K.K. Venugopal submitted in the Supreme Court Wednesday that “secret papers on Rafale deal have been stolen”, the Congress president also coined a phrase — “gayab ho gaya” — to highlight the Modi government’s failure.

“A new line has come: ‘Gayab go gaya’. Jobs have disappeared, economic growth has disappeared, Doklam (2017 crisis with China) and now even the Rafale files have disappeared,” said Gandhi.

“The objective of this government is to make things disappear.”

When asked if action can be taken under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) as suggested by Venugopal in court, Gandhi said the government was free to charge anything on anybody.

“But why don’t you press charges on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Once that is done we will know where the money has really gone.”

“If you are going to press charges based on the Official Secrets Act, please do. But that means since documents are authentic, there should be charges pressed against the Prime Minister too,” said the Congress chief.

Gandhi also slammed the Modi government for lying to the Supreme Court.

“The government is accepting in the SC that the files are original or true but claiming it to be stolen. So has the government lied to the SC?” he questioned.

In the last month, the Rafale deal has been under scrutiny with adverse media reports against the Modi government.

“As per our (UPA) deal, Rafale jets would have come early. This PM has delayed it,” Gandhi said, adding that the Modi government was responsible for the jets not being available for the Balakot strikes.

The government had claimed in the Supreme Court that the IAF strike against the Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp in Pakistan would have been easy if Rafale jets were available.

Pressing charges of corruption against PM Modi, Gandhi asked why criminal investigations were being done going only against opposition parties.

“They have refused to a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe in the Rafale deal. If the PM has not done anything why doesn’t he simply get an investigation done and prove himself?” asked Gandhi.

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