Rahul in Amethi, hits out at Modi on Rafale

Lucknow, September 24

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday reiterated his demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee to unravel the “truth” behind the Rafale deal.

Describing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence on the questions being raised by him as “intriguing”, Gandhi charged Modi of giving long speeches but never uttering a word on Rafale or allegedly helping his industrialist friend bag the deal.

Addressing a meeting in Jais, Gandhi said, “The chowkidar of the country has taken out Rs 20,000 crore from the pockets of the poor, martyrs and the jawans and put it in the pocket of his industrialist friend.” He asked why 10-day-old Reliance Defence was given the contract to make the aircraft.

For Gandhi, it was a welcome with a difference when he reached his parliamentary constituency of Amethi on Monday on a two-day visit. The rousing welcome was clearly a continuation of the euphoria after his recent Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage. He garlanded a portrait of Lord Shiva. The Kanwaria Sangh welcomed him with chants of ‘Bam Bam Bhole’ and ‘Har Har Mahadev’. Gandhi was presented an image of Lord Shiva and his forehead was smeared with sandalwood paste. — TNS