Rafale issue: Cong gives breach of privilege notices in both Houses

The Congress on Monday gave notices of breach of privilege in both Houses of the Parliament, demanding an explanation from the Centre on why it provided the Supreme Court "wrong" information on the Rafale deal.

Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad sent the notice to the Upper House chairman, while Congress' leader in the Lok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, gave the notice in the Lower House.

"I have given a breach of privilege notice against the government and, in particular, against Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad as it was the Law Ministry that gave the go ahead for presenting the affidavit before the Supreme Court," Azad said.

"It is understood that the affidavit was in the knowledge of the prime minister, which provided wrong information. This government can speak a lie even to the Supreme Court and send a wrong affidavit to it and thus mislead the Parliament and the entire country. We have no faith in such a government," he said, adding it was for the first time that a government had provided wrong information to the Supreme Court.

"This is why our demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) becomes more relevant. We demand that a JPC be formed to probe the theft in the Rafale deal," Azad said, noting that they would continue to make the demand till the government accepts it.

Another Congress leader, Kapil Sibal, said this government was trying to mislead the Supreme Court as well as the entire country. "It is a sin to do politics of lies. This sinful government will have to suffer."