Arun Jaitley attacks Rahul Gandhi, calls him 'crown prince'
New Delhi, Oct 16 (IBNS): Targeting Congress President Rahul Gandhi by calling him a 'crown prince', Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday said he never met absconding scamster Nirav Modi.
Jaitley said Gandhi was making false narrative on numerous issues, including the Rafale deal.
Giving his response to the charges made by Gandhi against the PM Narendra Modi-led Central government, he said: "I do not recollect ever having even seen Nirav Modi in my life. The question of his meeting me in Parliament does not arise. If he came to Parliament, as Rahul Gandhi claims, then reception records would show that. Where have I admitted all this Mr.Gandhi?."
On another absconding businessman Vijay Mallya, he said: "As a Member of Parliament, Vijay Mallya once chased me in the corridor of Parliament to discuss his case. I did not pay any heed to him and coldly told him to make his proposal to the bankers. This he says constitutes a meeting where he told me that he was escaping to London. Absolute lie."
Jaitley even shared clips of Gandhi's recent rally in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh where he had alleged that absconding liquor baron Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi had met Jaitley before fleeing from the nation.
Speaking on Rafale deal and Gandhi's remarks on it, he said: "Rafale aircraft and its weaponry is not being manufactured in India at all, neither by Dassault or by any other private company. All 36 aircrafts and their weapons in a fully flyable and usable form will arrive in India. After the supplies begin Dassault has to make purchases in India for 50% of the contract value."
"This is as per the UPA’s policy to promote make in India. If the total deal is for Rs. 58,000 Crore, 50% of that amounts to Rs. 29,000 Crore. These supplies to Dassault are to be made by over 120 offset suppliers and which the business house named is one of them. Dassault has said that only 3% of offset may come to that business house which is less than Rs. 1000 Crore."
Mediapart's article reinforces the explosive statement by former French president Francois Hollande last month that France did not have a choice in selecting Anil Ambani's rookie defence company for the offset clause in which Dassault has to ensure that business worth at least half the deal's worth -- Rs.30,000 crore -- is generated in India. Dassault had said even then that the decision was its own.
Rahul Gandhi has been attacking the government over the issue.
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