AMN / New Delhi
Soon after Supreme Court Verdict on Rafale, Congress said that apex court was not right forum to probe Rafale Deal.
party is not not backing down in the Rafale row and has doubled down on its demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the defence deal after the BJP demanded an apology from Rahul Gandhi after the SC clean chit.
Party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the verdict is in fact a validation of what the Congress stated a month ago – that SC is not a forum to discuss the modalities of Rafale deal. “The only forum is a JPC which should probe the corruption in the Rafale deal. What the government presented in SC is a one-sided story.
Most facts presented are not available in the public domain,” he said, adding that the Congress will continue to demand JPC in Parliament. “If PM Modi thinks that there is nothing to hide then on behalf of Congress I dare BJP to bring in JPC. There is a reason why the Congress never approached the SC on the Rafale matter. Surjewala: We set up a JPC for Bofors, why not for Rafale?” he asked.
From the courtroom, the Rafale row has now shifted to the Parliament
From the courtroom, the Rafale row has now shifted to the Parliament as a chorus of “Rahul maafi maango” rings in the Lok Sabha. Leading the charge for the BJP is home minister Rajnath Singh who says that Congress should apologise to the nation. “No questions can now be raised on the Rafale deal. The SC has given a decisive verdict on Rafale. Congress has been involved in many scams so they think that all are involved,” he said.
Congress’ Anand Sharma says there is no reason for the BJP and the government to celebrate the SC order as it is has not gone into all details. “The SC said that it is not proper for us to go into details. The cost was inflated and the tech was not transferred to India. The court did not look into these aspects,” he said.
Sharma said the party will insist on a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into Rafale Deal. Questioning the SC order, he says that the bench has not gone into all details. Home minister Rajnath Singh has already made it clear that it would not allow a JPC probe into the deal.
Opposition to Demand JPC
Despite the Supreme Court rejecting demands for a court-monitored probe into the Rafale Deal, the opposition led by the Congress is unlikely to drop the issue and will press forward with its demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee investigation. Opposition leader, CPI’s D Raja, said it will demanding the JPC probe as the PM has not spoken about the deal and the details should be shared with the public. Mamata Banerjee’s TMC also echoed him, saying the SC has said what it had to say but political parties in the opposition will demand the JPC.