Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took to social media on Sunday morning to denounce Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Rafale deal controversy. He posted an image [below] with the caption “Chor ki Dadhi” (thief’s beard).
The Rafale agreement for 36 combat aircraft worth 7.8 billion euros was signed in 2016 between the Indian government and the French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation. On Saturday, the Congress party had called for a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) investigation into the deal after France opened its judicial inquiry into the same in June.
Congress has consistently accused the Modi government of signing the contract with France at a much higher price than that negotiated during the UPA’s reign. The opposition party also alleged favoritism, claiming that Reliance Defense, owned by Anil Ambani, had been engaged as a compensation partner by arms maker Dassault Aviation, even though the company had no previous experience.
In response to Rahul Gandhi’s social media post, BJP IT department in-charge Amit Malviya said on Twitter, “Rahul Gandhi, after having heaped choicest abuses in the run up to 2019, has now stooped down to this level. People across India have rejected him but he is most welcome to fight 2024 elections on this issue!”
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In April 2021, the French publication Mediapart reported on the alleged misdeeds of the Rafale agreement. Citing an investigation by the French anti-corruption agency, the publication reported that Dassault Aviation had paid around one million euros to an Indian intermediary. Dassault Aviation had rejected the corruption allegations.
On June 14, France opened an investigation into allegations of “corruption and favoritism” in the Rafale agreement signed in 2016 on the basis of information from Mediapart and a complaint filed by the NGO Sherpa.
On July 2, Mediapart announced that a French judge had been appointed to lead the judicial inquiry.
On July 3, the Indian Congress Party issued a detailed press release claiming that France’s latest action exposed the corruption of the Modi government’s deal and that Rahul Gandhi, therefore, had “vindicated” himself. The opposition party has called for a JPC investigation into the case.
However, in 2019, the Indian Supreme Court heard a public interest case over the deal and said it saw nothing wrong with it.
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