Days after the airstrike against terror camp in Pakistan and subsequent events, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the country was feeling the absence of Rafale and results would have been different if India had the fighter jets as he attacked the Congress for its tirade against his government over the aircraft deal.
"India is feeling the absence of Rafale. The entire country is saying in one voice today, that if we had Rafale, the results would have been different. The country has suffered a lot due to selfish interests earlier and now politics over Rafale," he said at the India Today conclave.
Modi said he wanted to tell all those opposing him that they were free to criticise him and point out shortcomings but they should not harm the country's security interests.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi has been attacking Modi over the Rafale deal, alleging corruption and favourtism. The government has denied the charges.
Tearing into the Congress, Modi alleged its rule saw many defence scams. "They began with jeeps and later graduated to weapons, submarines, helicopters. The defence sector suffered in the process," he said.
"Those who ruled the country had interests in two things - doles and deals. The culture of doles and deals has harmed the country," he said targeting the Congress.
"Why is it that those who ruled the nation for so many years have so many defence scams in their era?
"If a deal could not happen, defence modernisation could not happen. Who is every middle-man close to," he asked, adding "the entire nation knows. And Lutyens Delhi, surely knows."
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