Rahul Gandhi hits out at PM Modi and Reliance over Rafale deal

Nov 16, 2017, 13:49 IST

NEW DELHI: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday led the charge against the Modi government over the Dassault Reliance Aerospace joint venture, alleging it was tailored to benefit the prime minister’s crony capitalist friends.

In a series of sarcastic tweets, Rahul targeted Anil Ambani’s Reliance Defence limited, which had last year tied up with Dassault Aviation of France to manufacture aircraft components under the Make in India initiative.

“Can you explain “Reliance” on someone with nil experience in aerospace for Rafale deal?” Rahul tweeted.

“Self ‘Reliance’ is obviously a critical aspect of ‘Make in India’,” he said in another tweet.

Rahul also took a dig at the prime minister, whom he has often accused of running a “suit boot ki sarkar” (a government of rich industrialists), this time taking the metaphor one step further.

“Modi ji – nice touch removing the suit. What about the loot?”, he said in a tweet.

By switching the “boot” with “loot”, Rahul was implying that PM Modi had a personal stake in the $8.7 billion Rafale fighter jets deal and perhaps also complicit in the Reliance-Dassault joint venture to promote the financial interests of his industrialist friends.

Congress had yesterday accused the Centre of purchasing 36 Rafale fighter jets at a much inflated price which has resulted in huge loss to the national exchequer. It also demanded how the the government had green-lit the “the biggest ever Indian defence deal between Dassault Aviation and Reliance Defence Ltd” without the approval of the Union cabinet, Cabinet Committee on Security and Foreign Investment Promotion Board.

Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/rahul-gandhi-hits-out-pm-modi-and-reliance-over-rafale-fighter-jets-deal/articleshow/61671284.cms