A full-scale verbal duel broke out between the BJP and the Congress on Thursday over the Supreme Court's verdict in the Rafale case with Union Home Minister Amit Shah hailing the ruling as "victory of truth" and demanding an apology from opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, who in turn sought a JPC as well as a probe into the multi-billion aircraft deal, saying Justice K M Joseph has left open a "huge door" for investigation.
Soon after the top court dismissed pleas seeking a review of its earlier order which had quashed demand for a probe in the fighter aircraft deal, the BJP fielded its top ministers and party leaders to launch an all-out attack on the Congress and Gandhi, evoking a sharp reaction from the opposition party, which claimed that the judgment is not a clean chit for the government.
The Congress had used Modi government's purchase of 36 Rafale jets from French aerospace major Dassault Aviation for the IAF at a cost of Rs 59,000 crore as one of the major issues in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, combining it with its 'ChowkidaarChorHai' slogan.
While Shah asserted that the decision is a befitting reply to those leaders and parties who rely on "malicious and baseless campaigns", BJP working president J P Nadda said Gandhi tried to "mislead the nation from road to Parliament". Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad questioned if he raised the issue at the behest of the French firm's rivals.
In Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the allegations of corruption in the Rafale deal were aimed at maligning Modi's image of a clean and honest leader and demanded an apology from the Congress.
In a series of tweets, Shah also said the ruling reaffirms Modi government's credentials as a dispensation that is transparent and corruption-free.
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"Now, it has been proved that disruption of Parliament over Rafale (issue) was a sham. The time could have been better utilised for the welfare of people. After today's rebuke from the SC, Congress and its leader, for whom politics is above national interest, must apologise to the nation," Shah said in a swipe at Gandhi.
Addressing a press conference, Prasad noted that the court let off Gandhi because he had apologised to it for wrongly attributing some strongly-worded criticism of Prime Minister Modi, and asked if the Congress leader does not owe a similar apology to the nation for misleading people.
"The Congress must apologise. Rahul Gandhi in particular must apologise. He ran a sponsored political programme that masqueraded as a quest for justice," he said.
Countering BJP narrative, Gandhi, using hashtag "BJPLiesOnRafale", tweeted,"Justice Joseph of the Supreme Court has opened a huge door into investigation of the RAFALE scam. An investigation must now begin in full earnest. A Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) must also be set up to probe this scam."