Who said what
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday responded to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s blog, where he said former French President François Hollande was contradicting himself.
Taking to Twitter, Gandhi said, “Mr Jetlie’s speciality is his ability to spin “2 truths”, or lies, with fake self-righteousness & indignation to defend the indefensible. It’s high time he, the RM & our PM stop lying and call a JPC to establish the full, uncorrupted truth about the Rafale Scam.
aitley on Sunday said former French President Francois Hollande contradicted his own statement with regard to the Rafale deal and that neither the Indian nor the French government played any role in selection of Reliance as offset partner by Dassault.
A political controversy has erupted over Hollande's statement that the Indian government wanted the Anil Ambani-led Reliance Defence to be chosen as offset partner of Dassault, the manufacturer of the Rafale fighter jets.
Attacking Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Jaitley said that the truth cannot have two versions.
"A controversy is sought to be created on the basis of a statement made by the former French President Hollande, that the Reliance Defence ‘partnership’ with Dassault Aviation was entered at the suggestion of the Indian Government. In a subsequent statement the former President has sought to suggest that Reliance Defence emerged on the scene after the agreement with the Indian Government was entered into. He has, in a subsequent statement, said that he is ‘not aware’ if Government ever lobbied for Reliance Defence and that ‘the partners chose themselves’. Truth cannot have two versions," said Jaitley in a Facebook post.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being "corrupt", saying former French president Francois Hollande's remarks on Reliance Defence shows "clear cut" corruption in the Rafale deal.
Questioning Modi's "silence" on the issue, he said the prime minister should come clean on the charge of favouring Reliance Defence in the deal.
"It is very important for the Prime Minister of India now to either accept Mr Hollande's statement and say 'Yes, it is the truth -- Mr Narendra Modi gave the Rafale contract in Rs 30,000 crore to Mr Anil Ambani', or 'Mr Hollande is not telling the truth and here is the truth'," Gandhi told a press conference.
Here's what others had to say
1. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman
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"They betray their sense of desperation in being out-of-power. In our govt there is no corruption. No wonder today the buzz is #RahulKaPuraKhandanChor," said Nirmala Sitharaman
2. Rajvendra Singh Rathore
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"His only qualification is a surname. His entire family has bn involved in scams. Ironic of him to blame PM @narendramodi ji, India's most honest PM,in Rafale deal! #RahulKaPuraKhandanChor," said Rajvendra Singh Rathore
3. Amit Shah
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“Rahul Gandhi says ‘Modi Hatao’ Pakistan says ‘Modi Hatao’ Now Pakistan also supports Rahul Gandhi’s baseless allegations against PM Modi. Is Congress forming an International Mahagathbandhan against PM Modi?" asked BJP President Amit Shah
4. Prashant Bhushan
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"The scam is unimaginably big and the government is putting a lot of pressure on the air force officials to lie. The agency is left high and dry in this deal, he said. Anil Ambani has no experience even in making a screw. How come he gets such a big deal? The scam is bigger than any defence scam. Its magnitude is huge. They have revealed a false price in the parliament of the planes. This scam needs to be tapped very closely," said Prashant Bhushan
5. Jyotiraditya Scindia
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Fmr Former French Prez has exposed Central govt’s web of lies on Rafale. Indian govt proposed Reliance as partner in the deal; the French did not have a say. Truth has a way of coming out. When will the govt stop misleading us & come clean on Rafale Deal, said Jyotiraditya Scindia
