The controversy on the Rafale deal is certainly not over yet. Even after making an unconditional apology to the Supreme Court and its clean-chit on the Rafale deal, Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi has again attacked the Modi government over the deal.
Will India Acquire Su-57 Jets To Match Chinese J-20s As Russia Set To Unveil Its Export Version?
Stating a source which mentioned that the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has submitted its performance audit on defence offset contracts to the government with no mention of any offset deals related to the purchase of Rafale aircraft, Rahul Gandhi tweeted, “Money was stolen from the Indian exchequer in Rafale”, without elaborating further.
China Delivers The Biggest-Ever, Most Advanced Naval Warship To Pakistan
Money was stolen from the Indian exchequer in Rafale.
“Truth is one, paths are many.”
Mahatma Gandhihttps://t.co/giInNz3nx7— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 22, 2020
The source quoted in his tweet(s), an article by news agency Times of India, stated that “According to people involved in the audit, the MoD has informed the federal auditor that Dassault Aviation, the French manufacturer of the Rafale, has said that it will share any details of its offset partners only after three years of the contract”.
US Developing Helicopters Which Are Stealth, Have 360-Degree Sensor Just Like F-35 Jets
Resultantly, the CAG has submitted its performance audit on defence offset contracts to the government with no mention of any offset deals related to the purchase of Rafale aircraft. His tweet also included a quote from Mahatma Gandhi, “Truth is one, paths are many”.
However, Rahul Gandhi’s tweet saw backlash from the Railway Minister and a senior BJP leader Piyush Goyal, who stated – Congress colleagues confide in private that Rahul’s obsession with Rafale to wash off his father’s sins is damaging the party. But if someone is wanting to self-destruct, who are we to complain? We invite him to fight the 2024 elections on Rafale.
Many of @RahulGandhi’s Congress colleagues confide in private that Rahul’s obsession with Rafale to wash off his father’s sins is damaging the party. But if someone is wanting to self-destruct, who are we to complain? We invite him to fight 2024 elections on Rafale 🙂 https://t.co/5eAmuvGQHf
— Piyush Goyal (मोदी का परिवार) (@PiyushGoyal) August 22, 2020
The Rafale deal was the centre of Congress’s agenda to oppose the BJP-led government during the 2019 elections, which it lost badly under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi. He even had to issue a written apology to the Supreme Court over calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “thief”, under the slogan “Chowkidar Chor Hai” (the guard is itself the robber) when he linked Rafale Deal with the PM.
