Rahul Gandhi drums up scam charge in Rafale deal again, says public money 'stolen'

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi yet again drummed up his allegation of corruption in the Rafale fighter aircraft deal and said the Modi government has 'stolen' money from the public exchequer. He was citing a report that quoted a source in the Comptroller and Auditor General saying the CAG's performance audit on defence offset contracts submitted to the Centre has no mention of any offset deals related to Rafale aircraft purchased from French company Dassault Aviation.

The Wayanad MP wrote on Twitter: "Money was stolen from the Indian exchequer in Rafale. 'Truth is one, paths are many.' Mahatma Gandhi"

In July as India welcomed the first fleet of Rafale jets, the former Congress chief had raked up a controversy over the fighter jet's acquisition. While he congratulated the Indian Air Force on the new defence entrants, he asked the Modi government to answer questions about the aircraft's worth, the number of jets acquired and the Rs 30,000 crore contract awarded to Anil Ambani instead of state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Gandhi has repeatedly questioned the deal since the Modi government finalised the deal in 2017.

READ | Defended Rafale Deal As Did Not Want It Go The Bofors Way: Former IAF Chief B S Dhanoa

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Rafales land at Ambala airspace

In a mega boost to Indian Airforce's firepower, the five Rafale jets landed at Indian Airforce's Ambala airbase on July 29. The jets took off from the Merignac airbase in French port city of Bordeaux and arrived here after covering a distance of 7,000 km with air-to-air refueling and a single stop in the United Arab Emirates. The jets entered the Indian air space and were escorted by 2 SU30 MKIs to the airbase.

SC's Rafale verdict

The Supreme Court had in 2019 dismissed the review petitions against its December 14, 2018 judgment upholding the 36 Rafale jets' deal, and giving a clean chit to the Modi government. The review petitions asked for a review in the jet deal with French firm Dassault Aviation. The top court rejected the plea that there was a necessity for registration of an FIR in connection with the Rafale deal. The top court had said that it did not find any reason to embark on a 'roving and fishing inquiry.'

Moreover, SC, while dismissing the contempt proceeding against Rahul Gandhi which was filed by BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi, had issued the then Congress chief a stern warning. In the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi had attributed his ‘Chowkidar chor hai’ jibe against Prime Minister Modi to the Apex Court. Following this, Lekhi filed a contempt plea. After the SC issued a contempt notice against Gandhi, the latter tendered an apology seeking closure of the proceedings. The top court accepted his apology and while pulling up the leader for making false attributions to the Court.

READ | Rahul Gandhi Congratulates IAF For Arrival Of Rafale Jets, Repeats Questions On Deal

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