E-Paper
Rafale scam in Opposition’s mind, says Sushma Swaraj; Congress hits back
Replying to a supplementary question asked by Congress leader Anand Sharma seeking details of the jet fighter deal in the Rajya Sabha, Sushma Swaraj said the issue had already been cleared after being examined by the Supreme Court.
The Congress staged a walk-out in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday to protest external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj’s remarks that there was no controversy in the Rafale deal except in the minds of the opposition party leaders.
Replying to a supplementary question asked by Congress leader Anand Sharma seeking details of the jet fighter deal, Swaraj said the issue had already been cleared after being examined by the Supreme Court.
During the question hour, Sharma wanted to know whether the government would make public the minutes of the meeting held last year between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former French president Francois Hollande on the Rafale deal.
“Will the government make public the minutes of the meeting that were kept because there is a controversy, and that would settle it once for all, one way or the other?” he asked as a supplementary to Shiva Sena member Sanjay Raut’s question on whether there was any discussion on the Rafale deal during the recent visit of French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian to New Delhi.
“There was no discussion on the matter. On that day, the Supreme Court verdict (on Rafale deal) was pronounced. He (French minister) was very happy. He expressed joy and felt there was no need to have discussion,” Swaraj said.
But the debate on Rafale could not resume in the Lok Sabha due to frequent disruptions caused by the protesting members of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) resulting in the adjournment of the House.
While the AIADMK members were protesting on the Cauvery issue, the TDP members continued with their demand for special category status for Andhra Pradesh.
Watch: Rahul Gandhi vs Arun Jaitley: Watch how the Rafale row unfolded in LS
Earlier in the day, Congress president Rahul Gandhi stepped up his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Rafale deal.
“So it seems our PM has fled Parliament & his own open book Rafale exam & is instead lecturing students at Lovely University in Punjab, today,” Gandhi tweeted.
He also urged students to ask the Prime Minister to answer the four questions posed by him.
The attack came a day after he said Modi faced an open book exam on the deal in Parliament and asked if he will show up at the exam or send a proxy.
After launching a scathing attack on Modi in Parliament and later at a news conference at the party’s headquarters in Delhi, the Congress president had on Wednesday tweeted four questions related to the Rafale deal and demanded answers from the Prime Minister.
“Here are the exam questions in advance: Q1. Why 36 aircraft, instead of the 126 the IAF needed? Q2. Why 1,600 Cr instead of 560 Cr per aircraft. Q4. Why AA instead of HAL? Will he show up? Or send a proxy?”
Gandhi later tweeted another question, terming it as “The Missing Q3!”
In the third question, he had asked the Prime Minister to tell why former defence minister Manohar Parrikar keeps a Rafale file in his bedroom and what’s in it.
The Congress also released an audio of a recorded conversation purportedly between Goa health minister Vishwajit Rane and another person whose identity had not been released.
The party alleged that Rane can be heard saying that during a cabinet meeting last week former defence minister and Goa chief minister Manohar parrikar stated that he had an entire file and all documents related to the Rafale deal “lying in his bedroom”.
While Parrikar denied having made any such reference, Rane claimed the audio was doctored.
The BJP on its part has been asserting that there are no irregularities in the deal.
Responding to Gandhi’s attack in the Lok Sabha, finance minister Arun Jaitley countered by mentioning controversial cases, including the Bofors gun purchase, the AgustaWestland chopper deal and the National Herald matter.
He also said the Congress president has a “legacy of speaking falsehood.”
