The Congress and the BJP were locked in a slanging match over the Rafale deal, with Rahul Gandhi accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being "corrupt" and the ruling party alleging that pressure for "extraneous considerations" during the UPA rule did not allow the contract to be finalised.
Questioning the prime minister's "silence" on the Rafale issue, Congress president Gandhi asked him to come clean on the charge of favouring Reliance Defence in the deal, saying it is the question of dignity of his office and he should speak up on what former French president Francois Hollande has said.
He also demanded a probe by a joint parliamentary committee (JPC), in which Hollande can be called.
"Now, what the ex-President of France is saying is that the Prime Minister of India is a 'thief'. That is what this (Hollande's) statement is saying.
"It is very important for the Prime Minister of India now to either accept Mr Hollande's statement and say 'Yes, it is the truth -- Mr Narendra Modi gave the Rafale contract in Rs 30,000 crore to Mr Anil Ambani', or 'Mr Hollande is not telling the truth and here is the truth'," Gandhi said at a press conference.
Coming out in Modi's defence, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad condemned Gandhi's remarks as "shameful and irresponsible" and said no president of any party in independent India has ever used such language against a prime minister.
The charges flew thick and fast from both sides, with the Congress and the BJP holding press conferences in quick succession.
Soon after Gandhi's presser, the BJP held a press conference by Prasad after which Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also briefed reporters.
The sharp attacks by the Congress continued a day after Hollande was quoted as saying by French media that the Indian government proposed Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence as the partner for Dassault Aviation in the fighter jet deal.
"It is very important that the prime minister makes it very clear what his position is. It is the question of the dignity of the office of the prime minister, it is the question, it is a defence related question, it is the question of future of our jawans', the future of our soldiers, the future of our Air Force," Gandhi said expressing surprise at Modi's silence on the charges made by none other than a former French president.
The Congress chief, alleging a "clear cut" and "cent percent" corruption" in the Rafale deal, said, "We are absolutely convinced that the Prime Minister of India is corrupt."
This was strongly rebutted by Prasad, saying, "We cannot expect anything better from Gandhi. He has no quality, no capability and whatever he is he owes to his family... Modi is a symbol of honesty and a global leader."
Hollande was quoted as saying, "It was Indian government that proposed this service group, and Dassault which negotiated with Ambani. We had no choice, we took the interlocutor who was given to us."
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