Seizing its final chance at attacking Finance Minister Arun Jaitley over the day-long political slugfest on Rafale jet deal, Congress told the former that party President Rahul Gandhi won the Internet on Wednesday, 2 January.
The day-long verbal bashing, Congress said, was conquered by Rahul Gandhi who questioned the finance minister in Parliament earlier in the day and later in a media address.
In subsequent tweets, Congress threw down the gauntlet and challenged the prime minister for an open book exam on Thursday in Parliament.
Gandhi once again referred to the “Rafale related audio-tape”, in which Goa minister Vishwajit Pratapsingh Rane is purportedly telling another person that Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had admitted that he had all the files on the Rafale deal in his bedroom.
In his tweet, Gandhi said, “I had held back Q3 because Madam Speaker had said, “no talking about the Goa tape”! But the missing Q3 has become as controversial as Rafale.”
Congress’ tweet came as a response to the Union Minister Arun Jaitley’s tweet, where he said that even a fool will not compare prices of a simple flyaway Aircraft with a weaponised Jet.
The political tempers soared high on Wednesday in Parliament when the Congress chief threatened to play a purported recording of a conversation of a Goa minister on the Rafale deal.
Gandhi, in Parliament, accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of bypassing procedures to award the contract to a private entity after agreeing to a three-time hike in the price per aircraft and reducing the number of planes to be bought.
Pandemonium broke out when Gandhi took out his mobile phone and wanted to play the recorded conversation amidst stiff opposition from the ruling benches, including Finance Minister Arun Jaitley who alleged that after concocting French President Emmanuel Macron on the issue of disclosing the price, Gandhi was now trying to play a conversation which he knew was false.
‘Chowkidaar Chor Hai’ Makes a Comeback
This was followed by replies by Arun Jaitley in the Parliament who cornered Congress on grounds of scams like Bofors, National Herald case and AgustaWestland deal and said that Congress only understands money, and not national security.
However, later in the day in a press conference, Gandhi responded to Jaitley’s reply in the Parliament and said, “They keep asking where does Congress get the Rs 1,600 crore per aircraft figure, let me tell you from where. Jaitley ji in his speech in Parliament had said the deal is Rs 58,000 crore, so divide this by 36, what figure do you get? Rs 1,600 crore.”
“The reality is that Rs 30,000 crore has been given to Anil Ambani,” he said, adding his signature jibe, “Chowkidaar Chor Hai”.
He questioned that if prices of Rafale deal were brought down as claimed by union minister, why did the country not buy 126 aircrafts or more?
Rahul Gandhi, in his press address, said he just needs 20 minutes with the prime minister to discuss the Rafale deal.
‘What World Is the PM Living in?’
“One thing I found very surprising and interesting in his interview yesterday was that the PM said, the allegation is not against me personally. What world is the PM living in?” Gandhi asked.
Countering the finance minister’s statement from Parliament, Rahul Gandhi said, that Supreme Court never said there should be no investigation in Rafale deal but has only refused to set up a JPC in the deal.
(With inputs from IANS)
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