New Delhi: After Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked Rahul Gandhi for his remarks that the Prime Minister made 'a woman' defend him in Parliament over the Rafale deal, the Congress president took a jibe at the PM Modi saying in "our culture respect for women begins at home".
"Stop shaking. Be a man and answer my question: Did the Air Force and Defence Ministry object when you bypassed the original Rafale deal? Yes? Or No?" Rahul Gandhi tweeted.
The tweet came hours after PM Modi at a rally in Agra said, "For the first time, a daughter of the county has become defence minister. It is a matter of pride. Our defence minister silenced all the opposition parties in parliament (on Rafale) and exposed their lies. They were so stunned that now they are insulting a woman defence minister. Not just the minister but they are insulting India's women power."
PM Modi's attack was in response to Gandhi's remarks at a farmers rally in Jaipur where he said, "The watchman with a 56-inch chest ran away and told a woman, Sitharaman ji, defend me. I won’t be able to defend myself, defend me."
Reacting to the Prime Minister's scathing criticism, Gandhi, in his tweet, said: "With all due respect Modi Ji, in our culture respect for women begins at home."
With all due respect Modi Ji, in our culture respect for women begins at home.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) January 9, 2019
Stop shaking. Be a man and answer my question: Did the Air Force and Defence Ministry object when you bypassed the original Rafale deal?
Yes? Or No? #RafaleScam
Sitharaman, 59, is the first full-time woman defence ministry of the country but Indira Gandhi was the first woman to hold the defence portfolio.
The Congress party has been targeting Modi on the deal alleging the price of each Rafale aircraft has sharply increased from Rs 526 crore, negotiated by the previous UPA government, to Rs 1,600 crore and that the contract will help Anil Ambani get Rs 30,000 crore benefit through offset contract.
(With PTI inputs)
