Rafale is Modi's Rs 30,000-crore free gift to Ambani: Rahul Gandhi
'Important for PM now to either accept Mr. Hollande's statement or say he's lying'
'Important for PM now to either accept Mr. Hollande's statement or say he's lying'
'Important for PM now to either accept Mr. Hollande's statement or say he's lying'
'Important for PM now to either accept Mr. Hollande's statement or say he's lying'
Stepping up his attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday questioned the former's silence on ex-French president Francois Hollande's statements. Gandhi also alleged that the Rafale deal is a "Rs 30,000 crore free gift to Anil Ambani by PM Modi".
"What I'm surprised with is that the PM is completely silent. Not one word has come out from PM's mouth on this... It is very important for PM now to either accept Mr. Hollande's statement or state that Mr. Hollande is lying and tell what the truth is," said Rahul Gandhi at a press meet on Saturday. Continuing his attack on Modi, the Congress president noted that Modi had a one-on-one meeting with Hollande, the then President of France, "where the Rafale deal was decided".
"The ex-president of France said, "We didn't have any say in this matter". What he is saying is, PM of India is a thief... For the first time, an ex-French President is calling our PM a thief. It is a question of the dignity of the office of Prime Minister. It is the question of the future of our jawans and the Air Force," contended Gandhi.
Earlier in the day, too, the Congress President had hit out against Modi and Ambani. "The PM and Anil Ambani jointly carried out a One Hundred & Thirty Thousand Crore, SURGICAL STRIKE on the Indian Defence forces. Modi Ji you dishonoured the blood of our martyred soldiers. Shame on you. You betrayed India's soul," Gandhi tweeted on Saturday.
Gandhi's statements come in the backdrop of Hollande's remarks contradicting the Indian government's stand. Hollande was quoted by a French publication as saying that the Indian government proposed Anil Ambani-led Reliance Defence as the partner for Dassault Aviation in the Rs 58,000 crore Rafale jet fighter deal and France did not have a choice. "It was the Indian government that proposed this service group, and Dassault which negotiated with Ambani. We had no choice, we took the interlocutor who was given to us," Hollande was reported as telling the French news service Mediapart.