Rahul Gandhi terms Sitharaman 'Rafale Minister', demands resignation

Rahul Gandhi

Terming Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as "Rafale Minister", Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday demanded her resignation after former HAL chief T. Suvarna Raju refuted her claims that the state-owned aerospace and defence company did not have the capability to build the fighter jets.

"The RM (Rafale Minister) tasked with defending corruption has been caught lying again. The former HAL chief, T.S. Raju, has nailed her lie, that HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited) didn't have the capability to build the Rafale," Gandhi said.

"Her position is untenable and she must resign" Gandhi was quoted.

Gandhi's comment came amid a war of words between the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government and the Congress, after Sitharaman during an interview to a news channel claimed that the Bengaluru headquartered company governed under the management of the Indian Ministry of Defence was not competent enough to produce the aircraft.

Earlier, Senior Congress leader A K Antony had accused Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman of "suppressing facts" on the Rafale deal and asked why the government was not setting up a joint parliamentary committee to investigate it. The former defence minister also accused the government of being "guilty" of "gravely compromising" national security in the Rafale fighter jet deal.

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