SC should withdraw Rafale judgment: Gaurav Gogoi

Senior Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi Tuesday said the Supreme Court should withdraw its judgment on Rafale deal as it was based on a false statement submitted by the Narendra Modi government.

Gogoi, an MP from Assam, also said the Congress is demanding that the government constitute a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to probe all aspects of the Rafale deal.

"The Rafale judgment was based on a false statement made by the BJP government. The Supreme Court should withdraw it," he told mediapersons here.

After the apex court gave its verdict on the deal on December 14, Congress president Rahul Gandhi the basis of the judgment is a CAG report that has neither been seen by anyone, nor shared with Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

The PAC is headed by Congress' leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjuna Kharge.

The Centre on December 15 filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court to make a factual 'correction' in a paragraph in the Rafale judgment in which a reference was made about the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report and the PAC.

Gogoi said, "The Supreme Court should penalise the BJP government for trying to mislead the apex court. It should also call upon the government and initiate contempt case the BJP-led government."
Stating that the Congress in the past had constituted JPCs on demand by the Opposition, he asked, "Why is the current BJP government so allergic to the JPC now that they are in power."