Sharad Pawar's views have been distorted, why is BJP not agreeing to Rafale JPC: Supriya Sule

In an attempt to clear the air over the Rafale controversy after her father's interview, Lok Sabha MP and NCP chief Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule said his views have been distorted.

At a time when the Congress-led opposition is mounting an attack on the government over the Rafale fighter aircraft deal, Pawar said people 'do not have doubts' over Modi's intentions.

In an interview to a Marathi news channel, he also said the opposition's demand to share technical details relating to the fighter jet 'made no sense'.

However, taking to Twitter, Supriya Sule said, "It’s disappointing that people have not heard Sharad Pawar Saheb where he has clearly raised three questions"

"The thing which he (Pawar) is being quoted that he has given a clean chit to PM is not true. Those who are saying so have either not heard or seen his interview or they are twisting it intentionally," she added.

In a series of tweets, she also posted three questions raised by Pawar.

1) what is the justification for a 300 percent price increase from Rs. 526 crores to Rs. 1,670 crores which potentially could be a significant loss to the exchequer?

2) If such doubts have been raised and the government is so confident, then why are they shying from setting up a JPC?

3) when the BJP raised both price and specification issues during the Bofors allegations, then why are they hiding behind artificial justification of secrecy of agreements vis-a-vis both commercial price and offset agreements.

Earlier in the day, Congress said that NCP supremo spoke to their leader Mallikarjun Kharge and said that his quotes have been twisted.

"Pawar told Kharge that in the interview, he had in fact, insisted that a Joint Parliamentary Committee to probe Rafale. He said that his statement on PM and Rafale has been distorted and was an effort by the BJP to create differences between Congress and NCP," said Surjewala.

BJP president Amit Shah had also lauded Pawar for saying that people do not doubt Modi's intentions in the Rafale deal, and asked Rahul Gandhi to believe his own ally who has put 'national interests above party politics'.

"I thank Sharad Pawar, a former Defence Minister and veteran MP, for placing national interests above party politics and speaking the truth. Dear Rahul Gandhi, you would be wiser by believing your own ally and a leader of Pawar Saheb's stature," Shah tweeted.

He tagged the Congress president in his tweet which also attached a news story on Pawar's comments.