'Truth can't have 2 versions': Jaitley questions Hollande over Rafale claims
New Delhi: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday questioned former French president Francois Hollande over his claims that India proposed a private company to partner with the Dassault Aviation for procurement of 36 Rafale jets.
“Truth cannot have two versions,” Jaitley wrote in a Facebook blog titled ‘A Questionable Statement Which Circumstances & Facts Demolish’ on Sunday morning.
The finance minister also hinted at a “conflict of interest” concerning Hollande and said, “…it may be mentioned that the former French President, Hollande, is countering statement made against him with regard to a conflict of interest in his dealing with the Reliance Defence.”
Referring to a tweet posted by a Congress leader, Jaitley suggested that Hollande’s statement was intended to defend himself from criticism for an alleged conflict of interest within his own country.
"The Congress Party's official handle on 31.8.2018 had carried the tweet of one of its leader 'It is evident that Anil Ambani bribed President Hollande through his actor-partner to get the Dassault partnership'," Arun Jaitley further wrote.
Referring to the same tweet, Jaitley questioned Congress’ credibility and wrote, “For the Congress Party to allege that a former President had been bribed by an Indian business group and then use him as a primary witness, particularly when he is facing criticism for an alleged conflict of interest within his own country.”
Questioning the timing of the statement by former French president that came days after Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, in a tweet on August 30, warned of “some big bunker buster bombs in the next couple of weeks” over the Rafale deal, Jaitley hinted at some nexus between the opposition parties of the two countries.
In a reference to Hollande’s other statement where he said that “he is ‘not aware’ if Government ever lobbied for Reliance Defence and that ‘the partners chose themselves’”, Jaitley said, “…This contradicts his first questionable statement which the French Government and Dassault have denied. The facts contradict the same. His second statement in Montreal, Canada to AFP makes the veracity of his first statement even more questionable.”
