Shah slams Rahul on Rafale, blasts Azam for Jaya Prada remark

BJP chief Amit Shah Monday attacked Congress president Rahul Gandhi for "lying" over a Supreme Court order on the Rafale fighter jet purchase deal.

The Congress tells a lie and repeats it, Shah said, adding that Gandhi had got notice from the apex court for his utterances on the Rafale deal.

Shah was addressing a rally in Kodinar town in Gir Somnath district for the party's Junagadh Lok Sabha candidate.

"The Supreme Court heard the (Rafale) case on a preliminary technical objection. The Supreme Court passed its judgement, and Rahul baba started saying the Supreme Court had rebuked the government on the Rafale issue. In reality, no such thing happened," Shah said.

The Congress president had on April 10 claimed that the apex court has made it "clear" that Prime Minister Narendra Modi "committed a theft".

The apex court, which had earlier cleared the Modi government of accusations of corruption over the Rafale deal with France, had on April 9 said it will hear a review petition on the basis of the new documents, referred to by petitioners.

"It only worked to remove a preliminary objection. The case is still going on, and has also been heard in the past. But he (Gandhi) started speaking repeatedly. A BJP MP moved a contempt notice. And today, the respectable SC has issued notice and asked Rahul Gandhi to explain what he had said," Shah told the crowd.

"Telling a lie, telling it loudly, and repeatedly, has become the nature of the Congress party," Shah said.

The BJP chief also hit out at Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan for his objectionable remarks against BJP's Rampur Lok Sabha candidate actor-turned-politician Jaya Prada.

Shah said Khan, the SP and its Uttar Pradesh ally BSP should apologise for the "disgusting" remark.

"The disgusting comment made by Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan on BJP candidate Jaya Prada is an insult to mothers. The comment on Jaya Prada is not on her but on crores of women. I would like to ask Samajwadi Party, Behen Mayawati ji and Rahul Gandhi whether they agree to Azam Khan's comment," Shah said.

Shah also hit out at the opposition for their tirade against electronic voting machines.

"The Congress is scared of defeat. Earlier they would put the reason of defeat on EVMs. Now, even as the first phase of election is completed, it says BJP will win due to EVM. This shows Congress party has accepted defeat," he said.

"You have won in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh. The EVM is good where it (Congress) wins, and bad where it loses. Rahul Baba, it does not matter what you say. The people of the country understand everything," he said.