New Delhi: Brushing aside the charges of corruption levelled by the Congress in Rafale deal, the the BJP on Monday hit back by alleging that the previous UPA government had cancelled the fighter jets deal with France as a company linked to Congress President Rahul Gandhis brother-in-law Robert Vadra was not accepted as the “middleman”.
Rahul Gandhi, who is in his Lok Sabha constituency Amethi, launched a virulent attack on Modi saying the country’s “chowkidar” (watchman) had committed “chori” (theft). In a tweet, he made another veiled attack on Modi, calling him “India’s Commander in Thief.”
The BJP held two press conferences in the day to respond to Congress allegations and launch a counter-tirade.
While Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat sought to link the Rafale controversy to Vadra and controversial arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari.
Party spokesperson Sambit Patra referred to remarks of some Pakistan leaders to suggest that they wanted the removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from office and wish to see Rahul Gandhi as the next PM.
Shekhawat told media persons here that Bhandari works as a middleman” in defence deals.
“His name had earlier appeared in how he arranged air tickets for Vadra and how he got his home interior work done,” he said.
“He (Bhandari) is known to Vadra and he was seen with him in Dubai Defence Expo together,” he said.
Targeting the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government led by the Congress, the BJP leader said “Vadra, the Gandhi family and the then government wanted that the Rafale deal with Dassault Aviation should have been done under Vadra’s company Offset India Solutions, which was formed in 2008.”
Claiming that Vadra’s company acts as a middleman in defence deals, the BJP leader said “They (Vadra and Bhandari) represent themselves as middlemen at many defence expos but they have not got a big breakthrough yet. The then government wanted that the French firm should accept it (Vadra’s company) as the middleman. But since it did not materialise, the deal with Dassault was cancelled.”