The BJP on Saturday accused the Congress and its former president Rahul Gandhi of spreading lies about the Rafale deal, soon after reports of an investigation into the deal being launched in France broke.
After French website Mediapart reported on Friday that an investigation by an independent magistrate would be carried out, Congress spokesperson Randeep Sujrewala said the Congress and Mr. Gandhi were “vindicated”.
Reacting to the Congress’s press conference, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said at a virtual press conference that Mr. Gandhi had “spread lies” about the Rafale deal. The Congress leader had incorrectly claimed that there was pressure on Dassault to partner with Reliance. This had been denied by the French government, he stated. “They said the offset arrangements were between two private companies and there was no government interference, whether from France or the Modi government,” he noted.
Mr. Gandhi had been “fumbling in the allegation”, giving different figures when it came to the alleged scam, Mr. Patra alleged. The Supreme Court and the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) had both given a clean chit to the government after being provided the details of the deal in a sealed envelope due to a non-disclosure agreement. The “electoral verdict” was given by people in the form of the 2019 win.
Mr. Patra said he suspected Mr. Gandhi had a “deal with a competitive defence company” to act as an “agent” and was questioning the Rafale deal because of it. Regarding the appointment of the magistrate in France, he said a magistrate had been appointed as someone had complained, but nothing had been proved.
