SC verdict on Rafale shows truth can be troubled but not defeated: Nadda

BJP working President JP Nadda on Thursday said that his party welcomes the Supreme Court verdict dismissing the review petitions filed in the Rafale deal and for stating that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had used it to drag the apex court into politics.

"The BJP welcomes the Supreme Court verdict rejecting the review petitions filed in the Rafale deal. It proves that the truth can be troubled but not defeated," the press release issued by Nadda read.

"Using the Supreme Court, Rahul Gandhi had falsely issued statements against the popular and honest Prime Minister Narendra Modiji, on which the Supreme Court said that Rahul Gandhi had knowingly issued such statements and dragged the court into politics," the release added.

The statement adds that Rahul Gandhi was not punished as he had apologised earlier to the court, else he could have faced action in context with his statements too.

Slamming Rahul Gandhi and Congress, the statement added that the two had left no stone unturned, from stating wrong prices to misquoting the ex and current President of France, to mislead the nation for which he should issue an immediate apology.

"The Congress Party has time and again insulted all Constitutional institutions of the country time and again, be it the Supreme Court or CAG, Election Commission or others. It (attacking Rafale deal) was, therefore, an attempt in bad taste by Rahul Gandhi and Company to discredit the image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the country," the release added.

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court dismissed the review petitions challenging its verdict in the Rafale case on December 14, 2018.

A three-judge bench presided by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and comprising Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and K M Joseph passed the order on a batch of petitions seeking review of its December 14, 2018 verdict which had upheld the purchase of 36 Rafale jets by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government from France.

The top court also accepted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's apology for bringing in the court ruling in relation to his "chowkidar chor hai" remark in the Rafale case and said that a person holding a place of importance in political spectrum should have been more careful.