Why is NDA govt afraid of facing JPC into Rafale deal; D Raja

CPI leader D Raja Wednesday reiterated his party's demand for a JPC probe into the Rafale deal, asking why the NDA government was 'afraid' of facing the Joint Parliamentary Committe if there was no wrongdoing in the Indo-French pact.

The CPI National Secretary urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "tell the truth," on the matter.

"Neither the Defence Minister (Nirmala Sitharaman) nor the External Affairs Minister (Sushma Swaraj) was involved when the deal was clinched. It was the Prime Minister, the Prime Minister alone who took the decision and decided the deal," he said.

"JPC is a parliamentary instrument and Parliament is supreme in our democracy. If there is nothing (wrong) they can very well accept JPC. Why are they afraid of it," he told PTI.

Raja's remarks came in response to Sitharaman once again ruling out a JPC probe into the Rafale deal Wednesday.

On the demand for a JPC probe into the Rafale deal while speaking to reporters here Wednesday, Sitharaman had said "it is not needed."