Firing a fresh salvo at the prime minister over the Rafale jet deal, Congress president Rahul Gandhi Monday charged that the country's "chowkidar" Narendra Modi snatched money away from the poor and handed it over to industrialist Anil Ambani.
Gandhi also asked the prime minister for answers on several issues relating to the Rafale jet fighter deal and also to clarify as to why the former French president Francois Hollande allegedly called him a "thief".
"The chowkidar of the country has taken out Rs 20,000 crore from the pockets of the poor, martyrs and the jawans and put it in the pocket of (Anil)Ambani," Gandhi said at a meeting in the Jais area of his Lok Sabha constituency.
The Congress chief arrived here on a two-day visit, the first after his Kailash Mansarover pilgrimage, and said the people of the country want to know the amount involved in the Rafale deal.
"Why was the price not disclosed...how was the contract given to(Anil) Ambani... serious charges have been levelled by former French president Francois Hollande," he said.
Recalling that during a debate in Parliament on the Rafale deal, "The prime minister could not look me in the eye. PM gives speeches but no answers... he does not have the courage to give reply."
The Reliance Group, in a statement quoting Anil Ambani's letter to Gandhi last month, had said, "Allegations of Reliance benefitting by thousands of crores is a figment of imagination, promoted by vested interests."
Escalating his tirade against the Modi government on the Rafale issue, Rahul said the contract worth thousands of crores of rupees could have provided jobs "to youth of Amethi, to engineers...it could have given employment to thousands of youth...aircract with French technology would have been made in India...the nation would have benefitted from it."
"Soon after becoming the prime minister, 'chowkidarji' goes straight to France and enters into a deal with the president of that country...," Gandhi said and alleged, "Modiji says leave HAL...the contract has to be given to Anil Ambani."
Gandhi further said, "The defence minister of the country says that price of the aircraft will be disclosed but three months later says that under a secret pact with France it cannot be done but that has been denied by their president, I personally asked him."
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