Rafale deal: Opposition steps up pressure

The Congress kept up the heat on the Rafale deal, raking up the issue in both the Houses of the Parliament on the last day of the Monsoon session. The party led a protest of Opposition MPs, which was joined by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

Inside the Lok Sabha, Congress MP Sunil Jakhar demonstrated with a paper plane during the Zero Hour and said, "I can make a better Rafale, please give me the contract." He added that he has been practising it since the previous night.

Congress MPs demanded that a Joint Parliamentary Committee carry out a probe on the deal. But when Speaker Sumitra Mahajan did not pay heed to their demand, Congress MPs assembled in the Well and raised slogans. Some MPs carried placards, that read 'Modi's Rafale Gate', 'JPC set up karo', 'We demand JPC', 'Modi Corruption Exposed', 'Rafale Cover-Up Out In the Open', etc.

Earlier in the day, Congress MPs lead a protest outside the Parliament demanding a fair probe in the matter. They had declined an invitation by Vice-President and also Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu for breakfast.

Opposition leaders from the Congress, CPI, RJD and AAP, including Raj Babbar, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, Ambika Soni, D Raja, and Sushil Gupta were present in the protest.

In the Upper House, Congress MP Anand Sharma moved a notice to the Chair for a discussion on the matter; Naidu did not admit it. This led the Congress MPs to disrupt the House twice, with the MPs coming to the Well shouting slogans.

The Chair did not budge and kept conducting legislative business. The MPs disrupted the House for over an hour, making no leeway. Congress MPs were joined by Opposition MPs from the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party, the Communist Party of India and the Communist Party of India (Marxist). The House was adjourned over the matter.