Manohar Parrikar was buying fish when PM Modi changed Rafale contract: Rahul Gandhi

Saundatti: In yet another scathing attack on the BJP-led NDA government, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday said that former defence minister Manohar Parrikar was unaware about Prime Minister Narendra Modi changing the 'Rafale' contract.

The Congress chief claimed that Parrikar was 'buying fish' in Goa at that time.

The Gandhi scion made these remarks while addressing a public rally in Saundatti ahead of state assembly elections.

"The former defence minister was in Goa buying fish from a shop ... he did not even know that Modi ji had changed the contract of the Rafale deal," he said.

Defense Minister Goa mein tha, machhi (fish) ki dukan mein machhi khareed raha tha... usko pata bhi nahi tha ke Modi Ji ne #Rafale ka contract badal dia: Rahul Gandhi in #Karnataka's Saundatti pic.twitter.com/v2Ei1wJOjx

— ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2018

Rahul had earlier slammed Defence Minister Nirmala Sithraman for changing her stance on revealing the cost of Rafale fighter jets.

Q. Why did the Raksha Mantri change her stance from :
I will reveal the price of the RAFALE planes in Nov 2017 to the price is a state secret in Feb 2018

A. Corruption
B. To protect Modiji
C. To protect Modiji's friend
D. All of above #TheGreatRafaleMystery — Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) February 8, 2018

In a snide tweet, Gandhi wrote, "Tweet- Q. Why did the Raksha Mantri change her stance from :

I will reveal the price of the RAFALE planes in Nov 2017 to the price is a state secret in Feb 2018

A. Corruption

B. To protect Modiji

C. To protect Modiji's friend

D. All of above."

The Congress president has also addressed the issue while interacting with reporters and informed that he had asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi three questions in connection with the Rafale deal during the parliamentary session.

"I asked the Prime Minister three questions - cost of jets, if they asked Cabinet Committee on Security about it and why was the contract snatched from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and given to a businessman? But got no answers," he told reporters.

Gandhi further said that the Prime Minister gave a long speech in the Rajya Sabha, "but wasn't interested in answering fundamental questions."

बहुत लम्बी थी साहेब की बात
सदन में दिन को बता दिया रात

अपनी नाकामियों पर डाले पर्दे
अफसोस भाषण से गायब थे देश के मुद्दे

प्रधानमंत्रीजी चुप्पी कब तोड़ेंगे
राफेल डील पर आखिर कब बोलेंगे?#PradhanMantriJawabDo — Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) February 7, 2018

Intensifying his attack on the NDA government, Rahul had earlier said that the Rafale fighter jet deal was the "biggest issue" of corruption in the country now.

Congress president also recently listed out three Parliamentary replies filed by the former United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government on the details of pricing of defence deals. 

Asserting that the replies show that there was 'full transparency' in defence deals during the UPA regime, Rahul asked the NDA government to reveal the real cost of the deal. 

Rahul's replies came after FM Arun Jaitley accused the Congress of "seriously compromising" country's security by seeking details of the Rafale deal from the Centre. 

"I charge the Congress of seriously compromising India's security... Mr Modi has run a clean government for last 4 years, so let us, manufacturer, a crisis, let us manufacture an issue. And the manufactured issue is, please tell me the details of the Rafale deal," the Finance Minister had said in Lok Sabha after Congress demanded the Centre to make public the details of the government-to-government deal to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets from France.

Elections in Karnataka are scheduled to be held in April and or May this year to elect members from 224 assembly constituencies. 

(With ANI inputs)