New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday demanded answers from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar’s purported claim that he had a file on the Rafale deal “lying in his bedroom”. The grand old party asked if this was the reason why a joint parliamentary committee probe was not being ordered.
Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala published a conversation purportedly between Goa minister Vishwajit Rane and another person.
Rane purportedly can be heard saying that during a Goa cabinet meeting last week, Parrikar stated he had an entire file and all documents relating to the Rafale deal lying in his bedroom, Surjewala claimed, playing the conversation for the media outside parliament.
He quoted Rane as saying, “The chief minister made a very interesting statement, that I have all the information of Rafale in my bedroom….that’s means he is holding them to ransom. He said it is in my bedroom here only in my flat, each and every document on Rafale.”
Rane has said that the tape is doctored and that Parrikar “never made any reference to Rafale”.
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There was no confirmation on whether it was the voice of Rane in the audio. The identity of the other person was also not ascertained.
The BJP has alleged that the Congress is only “peddling lies” on the Rafale issue.
“Now it is clear that the ‘chowkidaar is chor’ (the watchman is a thief),” Surjewala told reporters in an apparent reference to Modi.
“Now the prime minister should answer. The country is demanding answers as to what secrets in the Rafale ‘scam’ are lying inside Manohar Parrikar’s flat and bedroom,” he claimed, asking why the ‘chowkidaar’ is fearing Parrikar.
“Now the prime minister has to answer. He only does captive interviews and is not used to answering questions from the media. What is the hitch in making public all the documents,” he asked.
Surjewala claimed the skeletons were tumbling out of the Rafale scam cupboard.
“New evidence busts ‘chowkidar’s’ worst kept secrets. What is Modi government hiding… Is this the reason why a JPC probe is not being ordered,” he asked.
Training his guns on Modi, Surjewala said, “this is a personal charge against you”.
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“There was corruption and wrongdoing in the Rafale scam and it is all recorded in the files. Those files are with Mr Parrikar. Why are they being hidden? If Mr. Modi has nothing to hide, then why is Mr. Parrikar keeping those files in his bedroom and threatening everybody that nobody can do anything against him, for he has the Rafale files,” he alleged.
Rane demands probe into audio clip
Rane told BJP president Amit Shah on Wednesday that he has asked the state government to order an inquiry into the matter.
In a letter to Shah, Rane said he never had any conversation with anyone on the Rafale issue.
According to BJP sources, Rane has said, “I have also sent a letter to Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar asking for an immediate police inquiry and criminal investigation to expose the mischievous elements.”
“…this is a doctored audio and have never had any discussion with this regard on this subject with anyone,” Rane said.
“I would like to…inform the chief minister that there is someone playing mischief and there should be inquiry in this matter and such mischievous elements need to be brought to the books,” Rane said in the letter to Parrikar.
(With PTI inputs)