Viraat row: Cong alleges Modi demeaning office of PM, spreading 'lies' due to 'imminent defeat'

The war of words between the Congress and the BJP turned shriller on Wednesday as the opposition party hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he accused Rajiv Gandhi of using warship INS Viraat as a "personal taxi" for a family holiday, saying he is spreading "canards and lies" due to "imminent defeat".

Seeking to turn the tables on Modi, the Congress accused him of misusing IAF aircraft for his poll campaign.

The opposition party addressed three press conferences during the day to rebut Modi's allegations and cited statements of three former Navy Vice Admirals, who claimed that then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was on an official visit to Lakshadweep when he also visited INS Viraat. They also claimed that there was no foreigner on board the Naval warship.

The party charged Modi with being a "serial liar", dubbed him a "Master of Dis-Iinformation" and his party as "Bahut Jhooth Party" (BJP), and said he is "demeaning" the office of the Prime Minister.

"Lies, propaganda and canards can never succeed beyond a very short shelf-life. Truth has to triumph. Howsoever much the 'Bahut Jhooth Party' will try to spread disinformation, the people of India know the truth," Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi told reporters on Thursday, alleging Modi was spreading "lies" about former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi but people of India will not be swayed by such statements.

The Congress leader accused Modi of "demeaning" the office of Prime Minister and said "you have regressed far from progressing".

He said the party reserves its legal rights "in respect to this falsehood. We reserve our rights to go to Election Commission. But, the point remains, this government, this Prime Minister, this set of people governing us have been shamefully exposed."
"Vice Admiral (retd) Vinod Pasricha appeared on channels some time back and stated that this is a lie and the then PM was on an official visit and not on a holiday."
Singhvi said this kind of "disinformation" is not new to Modi as he and his government "hold a Guinness record on lies and propaganda."
The Congress leader alleged that these attempts are to "divert, digress and derail the real issues -- MSMEs, demonetisation, agricultural distress, Rafale, jobs. We know that you will try to derail them, but, a time has come, when you should stand exposed, your Government should stand expose."
Singhvi said that if Raja Harishchandra is a symbol of truth in this country, "with the kind of lies, lies and lies, repeated day in and day out, by no less than the Prime Minister, unfortunately, he and that post has become the symbol of falsehood and untruthfulness."