Congress framing fake Rafael controversy: Jaitley

" Congress Party’s strategists have invented & manufactured a fake issue of the Rafale deal. The issue is failing to cut much ice. It’s a Government to Government agreement with no private group involved. PM @narendramodi led scam free Government is a challenge to Congress Party," Jaitley tweeted.

"The Rafale’s fake controversy is first part of two fold strategy of Congress Party. The second part is comparison of Hindus with ‘Taliban’ and phrases such as ‘Hindu Pakistan’ to reclaim minority votes. This strategy also is likely to backfire," he said.

Jaitley said that Congress has realised that they will not benefit much from the 2019 polls.

"The Congress Party realises that there a danger of the next election becoming a referendum on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s performance. The popularity gap between the Prime Minister and his competitors is very wide. Obviously Congress fearing complete decimation," Jaitley said.

"The first part of the Congress Mukt Bharat was scripted by the BJP, the federal front is more than eager to script the part-2 of the same. Its message to the Congress is clear – ‘you will have to support us; the other way is not possible," he said.

Jaitley said: "Many in the Congress realise that 2019 is not their election. They should try & improve but concentrate as a priority on 2024. However, mid-level leaders of the Congress in the age group of 65 to 74 are unwilling to wait for 2024. They know that 2019 is their last chance."

Escalating its attack against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government over the Rafale deal, the Congress on Monday demanded a full break up of the prices at which 36 fighter jets were bought by the Indian government from France.

Countering Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's citation of "secrecy" of the deal, Congress leader Anand Sharma said the secrecy is not binding on the commercial aspects.

Sharma also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have to explain how the price of the deal increased from Rs. 526 cr, which was fixed under the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime, to Rs. 1670 cr.

The Congress leader termed the deal as a "scam".

Hitting out at Modi, Sharma said: "The PM is equally responsible....He misled the house (Lok Sabha) and the country."

Targeting PM Modi directly during his speech on the No Confidence Motion in Lok Sabha on Friday, Rahul Gandhi said Sitharaman had lied about the facts of the Rafale deal and a secrecy clause under pressure of Modi.

"Nirmala Sitharaman lied to the country over the Rafale deal under Prime Minister Narendra Modi when she said she could not reveal the details of the deal owing to a secret pact with France. There is no such pact," said Rahul.

The Congress president said he came to know from French President Emmanuel Macron himself that there was no secret pact between India and France. Issuing a statement, the French Embassy, however, promptly denied what Rahul Gandhi claimed in the parliament.

Countering the Congress president, Sitharaman had said a secrecy deal with France was signed in 2008 under the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime when the Defence Minister was AK Antony.

Amid pandemonium, she further said Macron told an Indian media outlet in an interview that the commercial details of the Rafale jets deal can't be revealed.

The French Embassy in New Delhi issued a statement to cite an India Today interview of their President and affirmed that the deal was sensitive and hence the details cannot be revealed.

The statement by the French Embassy put Congress in a spot and apparently left Rahul egg-faced.

It said: "We have noted the statement of Mr Rahul Gandhi before the Indian Parliament. France and India concluded in 2008 a Security agreement, which legally binds the two States to protect the classified information provided by the partner, that could impact security and operational capabilities of the defence equipment of India or France."

"These provisions naturally apply to the IGA concluded on 23 September 2016 on the acquisition of 36 Rafale aircraft and their weapons. As the President of the French Republic indicated publicly in an interview given to India Today on 9th March 2018, « In India and in France, when a deal is very sensitive, we can’t reveal all details," the statement by French Embassy in New Delhi read.

Not shifting from his position for a bit, Rahul tweeted on Sunday to accuse Sitharaman of 'flip-flop' on her stand on the Rafale fighter jet deal with France.

Gandhi tweeted: "Our Defence Minister said she would, but now she won’t. She flip flops between “it’s-not-a-secret” & “it’s-a-BIG-secret”. The PM squirms when asked about the price of RAFALE and refuses to look me in the eye. Sure smells like a scam. #RAFALEscam."