Many people know Rafale price, but govt considers it 'national secret': Rahul

Congress president Rahul Gandhi Saturday took a dig at the Narendra Modi dispensation, saying many people knew the cost of the Rafale fighter aircraft deal but the government considered it a "national secret" that could not be revealed to the Supreme Court.

Taking to Twitter, Gandhi, who is on the campaign trail in poll-bound Chhattisgarh, said, "The PM knows. Anil Ambani knows. Hollande & Macron know. Every journalist now knows. Defence Ministry babus know. All of Dassault knows. All Dassault's competitors know. But the price of the #RAFALE is a National Secret, that cannot be revealed even to the Supreme Court," he tweeted.

The Dassault Aviation-made Rafale deal was renegotiated during the tenure of French president Franois Hollande, who was succeeded by Emmanuel Macron.

Gandhi has been asking the government to reveal the price of the aircraft, as negotiated by the NDA government.

The Congress chief has also accused the government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of renegotiating the price of the aircraft and purchasing it at a price three times higher than what was negotiated by the erstwhile UPA government.

He alleged corruption in the deal and favouritism towards the Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Group, a charge denied by both the government and the company.