Unrelenting in his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Rafale deal, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said, in the wake of fresh revelations on alleged irregularities in the deal, that the PM was guilty of treason and he had violated the Official Secrets Act.
Rahul was referring to media reports claiming that businessman Anil Ambani had, a fortnight before the Rafale agreement was signed between India and France during Modi's visit to Paris in April 2015, met the French defence minister and mentioned to him that the MoU was in preparation and there was intention to sign it during the PM visit.
The Congress president asked how Ambani was aware about the MoU when the then defence minister, the foreign secretary and even Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, which was involved in discussions for the offset contract under the Rafale deal, did not know about it.
“This is a breach of the Official Secrets Act,” Rahul said, addressing a press conference at the Congress headquarters, and alleged that the Prime Minister, the only other person who was aware of the deal, had informed Ambani. “He (Ambani) is telling the French that he is getting the deal, which he gets...He goes ahead and forms a company,” he said, adding that Modi has to explain how Ambani knew about the deal beforehand. He said Modi has acted as Ambani's middleman in the deal.
“First, it is was an issue of corruption. This is now treason, nothing else... He revealed an official secret. This itself is criminal. This itself will put the Prime Minister in jail,” Rahul said, remarking that Modi has done what a spy does—revealing defence secrets.
Asked about the CAG report on Rafale, he said it was a cover up act by the government, and dubbed it 'Chowkidar Auditor General Report'. “It is Narendra Modi's report, written for the chowkidar, for the chowkidar by the chowkidar,” he said. He repeated the Congress' claims about CAG Rajiv Mehrishi being in conflict of interest in the preparation of the report.
Asked about the Supreme Court's judgment on Rafale, which the government claims has given it a clean chit in the matter, Rahul said the court's decision is open to question now in the light of new revelations. Also, he said, the court quoted a CAG report which had not come.
“In all these three cases, that of corruption, procedural lapses and now national security, there will be an inquiry. Nobody will be spared,” he said.
