Rahul, Congress should apologise to PM Modi, says BJP on Rafale verdict

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said there is a necessity for fighter aircraft and the country cannot remain without the jets

Buoyed by the Supreme Court dismissing all petitions asking for a probe into the Rafale deal, BJP president Amit Shah Friday said the order is a slap on Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's politics of lies and asked him to apologise to the country and its soldiers for putting national security at risk.

There is no occasion to doubt the decision-making process in the procurement of 36 Rafale jets from France, the court said on Friday. It is not the job of the court to deal with the comparative details of the pricing, it stated.

Shah asserted that the apex court order "exposes" the campaign of misinformation of the Congress chief.

Stating that his party was ready for discussion on this issue, Shah challenged the Congress to debate the issue in Parliament.

"I welcome SC order on Rafale. The truth has won. An attempt was made to mislead people using lies. Rahul Gandhi should apologise to the nation and the Army. He has put the national security at risk," Shah said at a press conference at the party office here.

He also hit out at Gandhi for taking a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi by saying the "chowkidar" is a thief. "All thieves had gathered to call the 'chowkidar' a thief, but the country never believed it," Shah told reporters.

For the sake of his own credibility, Gandhi should reveal the source of information on which he based his false allegations on the Rafale deal, Shah said.

He added that the Supreme Court has also made it clear that there is nothing wrong with the offset partner.

Earlier in the day, Shah addressed the issue in series of tweets, saying the court didn't find anything wrong with the process nor did it find any commercial favouritism in the deal.

"On the contrary, the SC held that govt had no role in selecting offset partners & found no merit in the demand for a probe based on mere perception of individuals," he said.

"Truth always triumphs! Court's judgment on the Rafale deal exposes the campaign of misinformation spearheaded by Congress President for political gains," he added on Twitter.

The apex court's order raises obvious questions on the motive of those working to discredit the deal, which is important for India, he asserted.