Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat Monday sought Congress president Rahul Gandhi's resignation from the party post, saying he stands "exposed" after the Supreme Court verdict on the Rafale deal.
Shekhawat alleged Gandhi "knowingly" spread "lies" to tarnish the image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government over the multi-crore Rafale deal in which the Congress has alleged irregularities.
The SC had last week said there is no occasion to doubt the decision-making process in the procurement of 36 Rafale jets from France, and dismissed all the petitions seeking an investigation into alleged irregularities in the Rs 58,000 crore deal.
"Gandhi knowingly spread lies about Rafale deal to tarnish the image of the Modi government. It was a politically motivated conspiracy which has been now exposed following the SC verdict," the Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare told reporters here.
He said the apex court's verdict on Rafale has proved no irregularities were committed in striking the deal which was in national interest.
"By questioning the deal on the basis of some false and unfounded claims, Gandhi and his party played with national security and even tried to stall country's development.
"Since Gandhi now stands exposed, I expect him to tender his resignation (as Congress chief). I wonder why he has not resigned yet," the BJP leader said.
"Rahul Gandhi should also tender an apology to the countrymen for misguiding them for his own political ambitions. He must also seek forgiveness from our soldiers," the minister said.
Shekhawat's press conference was part of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s move to interact with the media in 70 cities across the country in a bid to "expose" the Congress following the SC verdict on the Rafale deal.
Defending the Modi government on the rejoinder it submitted to the SC about the CAG report, Shekhawat claimed the Congress was trying to sensationalise the issue.
"There was an issue related to interpretation. The government has now told the apex court through the rejoinder that the CAG has not submitted its report on the deal, and thus, there is no question of sending that to the PAC for scrutiny," said the Lok Sabha MP from Rajasthan.
Asked about the BJP's loss in three Hindi-speaking states in assembly polls, Shekhawat claimed the Congress was successful in making people believe in their "lies".
"But now, when their lie has been exposed after SC ruling, people of these states are feeling that they were cheated by Congress. People now seek answers from the party leader," Shekhawat said.
Responding to a query about the farm sector, he claimed that though the Modi government took several steps for the welfare of agriculturists, it will take another five years to change the scenario across the country.
"We are working to double farmer income by 2022. But, Indian agricultural sector is very vast. Farmers today are suffering because of wrong policies of past Congress governments. It will take another five years to fix it," he said.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
