New Delhi: The Modi government's “boat of corruption” will no longer sail, the Congress said on Wednesday after the Supreme Court asked the Centre for pricing details of the 36 Rafale jets India is buying from France.
The Congress has been alleging massive irregularities in the Rafale deal, saying the government was procuring each aircraft at a cost of over Rs 1,670 crore as against Rs 526 crore finalized by the UPA government when it was negotiating a deal for procurement of 126 Rafale fighter jets.
In a series of tweets Congress Communications Chief Mr Randeep Singh Surjewala hit out at the government and once again demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee JPC in the Rafale fighter jet deal. He said, “The Modi government's boat of corruption will no longer sail because the Supreme Courts wants to know the truth of Rafale.
The corruption-loaded BJP government can no longer remain investigation free, the accused can no longer run away from a JPC (joint parliamentary committee).”
He further added, “Dear PM, Please explain to the ‘court of people’, why are you now shying away from JPC investigation? Rafale Scam is now fully ripe for an investigation-no more excuses!”
The Congress has also alleged that the central government was responsible for taking away the offset contract from the public sector HAL and giving it to a private company. All the allegations made by the Congress have been vehemently denied by the government.
Earlier in a Facebook post, Congress President Rahul Gandhi said due to the renegotiated deal India could not get transfer of technology as negotiated during the UPA rule and it was shameful that Indian pilots have to put their lives at risk flying the ancient Jaguar aircraft as the new technology did not come into the country. The Congress president has also been attacking the Modi government over the Rafale deal in the election campaigning in the poll bound states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.
Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari reiterated the party’s demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the Rafale deal. "All the files relating to the Rafale transaction must be handed over to the JPC,” he said.
