Ambani asks Cong leaders to 'cease & desist' from speaking on Rafale; Party says won't be cowed down

Facing allegations of getting undue benefits from the multi-billion dollar Rafale deal, Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group has sent legal notices to several Congress leaders asking them to "cease and desist" from levelling such charges, which was promptly dubbed by the party as evidence of a "nexus between the BJP and the corporate world".

The Congress leaders said they will not be scared or silenced by such notices, which have been sent to several spokespersons and other leaders of the party.

The notices have been served amid a month-long offensive planned by the Congress on the Rafale deal under which top party leaders will be holding press conferences and demonstrations across the country targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government.

Reliance Group has denied the allegations relating to the deal under which France's Dassault is supplying the fighter jets and has entered into a joint venture with a Anil Ambani-led group firm to meet its offset requirement of the contract.

Ambani recently wrote to Congress president Rahul Gandhi on the deal saying his party has been "misinformed, misdirected and misled" by "malicious vested interests and corporate rivals" on the issue.

Gandhi has been attacking the government for allegedly inking the deal at a much higher price than the one the previous UPA regime had negotiated to benefit "one businessman".

Speaking to reporters in Chandigarh, Congress MP Sunil Jakhar said he has received the notice asking him to refrain from "making allegations" on the Rafale deal.

Jakhar, however, asserted that the Rafale matter was a serious national security issue for his party and alleged the legal notice was the result of a "nexus between the BJP and the corporate world".

The Punjab Congress chief and Lok Sabha member, who had raised the issue in Parliament as well, said, "I reiterate, my aeroplane making skills (as demonstrated in Lok Sabha) are better than yours", as he tweeted a picture of a paper plane made from the notice.

"It is a dark day for the democracy. An industrialist serving legal notice to an elected representative is a serious issue," Jakhar said while asserting that the Congress will continue to fight the nexus between capitalists and BJP.

The Congress leaders said the notices have been issued by Mumbai-based advocates on behalf of Reliance firms to Randeep Surjewala, Ashok Chavan, Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Sunil Jakhar among others, saying they were making "derogatory and defamatory statements in the press and electronic media in relation to the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft by India from France in a government-to-government contract."