Rafale Row
INC means I need commission: BJP slams Congress over new Rafale report
New Delhi/IBNS: The country's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has slammed the prime opposition force Congress over a new media report on alleged kickbacks paid to a middleman involving the Rafale jet deal before 2013.
Addressing a press conference on this issue, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said, "INC means 'I need Commission'. It would not be an over-projection that during the UPA tenure, they had a deal within every deal and they could still not strike a deal."
"There was a conspiracy of corruption in the Rafale issue. The whole thing had happened between 2007 and 2012," Patra said and added, "Rahul Gandhi from Italy must answer why he and his party spread misinformation for so many years."
Mediapart in its report claimed that French plane-maker Dassault had allegedly paid a bribe of at least 7.5 million euros to a middleman to secure the deal of selling 36 Rafale fighter jets to India.
The Indian agencies had failed to probe into the deal despite having the documents, the media report said.
Countering the allegations, Congress, which was in power in 2013, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is carrying out an "Operation Cover Up".
"Modi is carrying out an Operation Cover Up to bury the corruption, bribery and complicity in the Rafale deal. Now again he stands exposed," Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera hit back.
Earlier, the Rafale deal was brought into a row after Congress MP Rahul Gandhi alleged Modi had bypassed Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and favoured Indian businessman Anil Ambani as the offset partner in the contract.
Though the political war of words continued for months, the Supreme Court upheld the deal where it found no irregularities.
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