PM Modi becomes 'chai walla' during polls and 'Rafale walla' after it: Mamata Banerjee

Mamata Banerjee targeted the PM over the issue of Rafale deal.

She was quoted as saying by the media: "He is a master of Rafale. He is a master of demonetisation... He is a master of corruption. He is matter of arrogance."

"During the election, he (PM) becomes 'Chaiwalla' after the election he becomes 'Rafale walla'," Banerjee, who recently sat on a dharna over CBI actions against Kolkata Police Chief Rajeev Kumar, said.

Speaking on the High Court issue, Banerjee said: "I feel ashamed to talk about this person. Nobody from Kolkata HC was present. All infrastructure was paid for by us."

"The land is ours, circuit bench is of HC but nobody from them was there. It means the bride-bridegroom wasn't there but the band party was there," she attacked the Centre.

Modi in West Bengal:

Narendra Modi on Friday came down to West Bengal to attack the TMC-led government and also highlighted his Centre's developmental works in the past five years.

It is just months away when the country is gearing up for the Lok Sabha polls and Modi visited the east Indian state to address the rally and said: "I have a special relationship with North Bengal. The relationship of tea. You grow tea, I used to make tea."

He said: "It is evident that the Congress and Trinamool do not care about the people. The governments do not understand how many problems poor people face for even small cases."

He said his government is working for the benefits of the poor.

"Our government is providing all benefits to the poor which was beyond their reach earlier. Our government is running Jeevan Jyoti and Suraksha Bima schemes for the poor. It is useful for the poor in times of adversity," Modi said.

Highlighting his government's programmes, Modi said: "The Central government has introduced Rs 3,000 per month pension after 60 years of age for labourers in the informal sector. Those who earn less than 15,000 per month, can get benefit of the scheme."

Attacking West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, he said: "She has made violence political culture of Bengal. The government is of Didi, but the real decisions are taken by goons and middlemen."

"Didi is anxious to get to Delhi, while the poor of Bengal are left to deal with the Syndicate," he said.

Modi asked the people that the 'era of violence in Bengal' should end.

Attacking Mamata Banerjee on her dharna, Modi said she sat on a sit-in protest to save people who 'looted' poor persons' of the country.

"It is seen for the first time that the CM of a state has sat on a dharna to protect those who have looted the poor," Modi said.

Mamata Banerjee sat on a dharna for over 40 hours this week from Sunday night till Tuesday evening.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday sent a notice to Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar asking him to appear before the investigators on Saturday (Feb 9) for interrogation in connection with its ongoing Supreme Court mandated probe into chit fund scams, officials said.

According to sources, besides constituting a special team, the Central probe agency is currently preparing a questionnaire to interrogate the Kolkata top cop.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had ordered that Rajeev Kumar to appear before the CBI in the Sarada chit fund scam case, media reports said.

The court had said no coercive action would be taken against Kumar.

Fresh Rafale fight:

Countering opposition leader Rahul Gandhi's attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over The Hindu report claiming the PMO (Prime Minister's Office) held separate parleys with France over the Rafale deal, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the Congress is flogging a dead horse.

"The Rafale deal was fully discussed in the house," Sitharaman said while she was speaking in the parliament.

The Hindu report on Friday stated the Defence Ministry had protested against PMO's separate parleys with the French government over the deal of buying of 36 fighters jets from France by India.

The report said the Defence Ministry had objected to PMO's parallel talks with the French government.

Reacting to the report, Sitharaman also said the newspaper did selective reporting by not mentioning then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's statement.

Hurling attack on the Congress, she accused the opposition party of playing a corporate warfare.

Defence Ministry's objection:

The Defence Ministry's objection has been quoted by The Hindu, "We may advise PMO that any Officers who are not part of Indian Negotiating Team may refrain from having parallel parlays [parleys] with the officers of French Government....in case the PMO is not confident about the outcome of negotiations being carried out by the MoD, a revised modality of negotiations to be led by PMO at appropriate level may be adopted in the case.”

Stating PMO's parallel talks had "weakened the negotiating position of MoD and Indian Negotiating Team," a Defence Ministry brought a note to then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's notice. 

Rahul Gandhi blasts Modi:

Reacting to the development, Rahul said: "For more than a year, we've been saying that PM is directly involved in Rafale scam. Today it is clear that PM himself had been carrying out a parallel negotiation."

The Congress chief also urged the Modi government to probe into cases not only related to any Congress leader but also the Rafale.

"It is clear that Modi is a thief and he has stolen people's Rs. 30,000 crore and gave it to Anil Ambani," he added.

No mention of PMO in Supreme Court:

In the Supreme Court, however, the government had stated a seven-member team headed by the Deputy Chief of the Air Staff conducted the negotiations but did not mention PMO's intervention.

Giving a verdict in favour of the BJP government, the top court had stated due process in singing the deal was followed.

Francois Hollande's claim:

Congress took the matter to the centre stage after former French President Francois Hollande dropped a bombshell saying the the India government proposed Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence as the India partner for the 36 Rafale jets deal.