The controversy over the Rafale deal refused to die even after the government's defence on it in the Lok Sabha, with the Congress Saturday accusing Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her senior colleagues of spinning a "web of lies" to hide the prime minister's "falsehood".
Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera levelled the allegation at a press conference held at the party's headquarters here, a day after Sitharaman rebutted the Congress' charges on the deal, and accused the rival party of spreading "falsehood" on the issue.
"The ministers in the court of this 'king' are lying, to hide the falsehood of the 'king'. The defence minister said lies. It is not her fault.. her fault is that she's a minister in a court of a 'king', who has uttered such a huge lie. And to hide that lie, the entire cabinet is lying," he alleged, a day after the government's defence in the Lok Sabha.
"And, lying inside Parliament, can there be a bigger crime than that," Khera said.
The Congress has been targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the deal alleging that price of each aircraft was sharply hiked from around Rs 526 crore, negotiated under deal during UPA, to Rs 1,600 crore and that the contract will help Anil Ambani get Rs 30,000 crore benefit through offset contract.
Vehemently rejecting the charges of corruption in the Rs 58,000 crore deal for procurement of 36 Rafale jets from France, Sitharaman, in a "point-by-point" rebuttal to opposition's allegations, Friday said, "Defence Ministry has been functioning without dalals (middlemen) during five years of (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi. Rafale is a decision in national interest."
Asked to respond on this allegation, Khera said, "They say their lies loud and repeatedly. So, we will tell truth loud and repeatedly."
Asked if Congress would bring privilege motion against Sitharaman, he only, said, "We believe in due process and parliamentary process."
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