Congress trying to make Rafale an issue to do politics: BJP
New Delhi, Sept 24 (IBNS): Continuing the attacks on the Congress over the controversial Rafale deal, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday said the opposition outfit is trying to make an issue out of the deal of buying 36 fighter jets only to do politics.
In an evening press conference, Union Minister and BJP leader, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, said: "Congress is trying to make Rafale deal an issue just for politics. Few days before, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had asked a few questions to Rahul Gandhi but no answers came."
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress are having a face-off over the Rafale deal (buying of 36 fighter jets by India) ever since former French President Francois Hollande said India had urged France to nominate Indian industrialist Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence Industries as its partner in the Rafale deal.
Attacking the government, Congress president Rahul Gandhi had said Hollande tried to mean Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a "thief".
Questioning Modi's silence over the matter, the Congress chief had said: "It is up to the Prime Minister of India to clear his name on the issue."
Shekhawat even claimed that the deal, which was signed by the present government, is 20 percent cheaper than the one during the UPA regime.
The BJP leader alleged that the Congress is joining hands with anti-national forces to defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"The only motive behind the efforts to cancel the Rafale deal and demoralise the Air Force is to defeat Narendra Modi," he added.
Though Hollande's claims were denied by the French government, the former stood firm by his statement.
Targeting Rahul on Monday, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the Congress president's allegations would be exposed.
Sitharaman also said she will launch a nationwide campaign "to fight the perception battle".
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