New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “treason” and violating the Official Secrets Act by acting as Anil Ambani’s “middleman” in the Rafale jet contract, citing an email to claim the businessman was aware of the deal days before India and France finalised it.
“This is now treason, nothing less. Mr Narendra Modi is doing what spies do. He is informing somebody of defence matters, he is under oath to protect these secrets,” Mr Gandhi said.
“This is a breach of the Official Secrets Act,” he added. The BJP, however, rejected the charge, saying the email purportedly by an Airbus executive referred to a helicopter deal and not Rafale.
Reliance Defence, in a statement, also refuted Mr Gandhi’s allegation saying the “proposed MoU” mentioned in the email referred to its cooperation with Airbus Helicopter.
At a press conference, Mr Gandhi released to the media the email dated March 28, 2015, purportedly written by Airbus executive Nicolas Chamussy to three recipients with the subject line “Ambani”.
He claimed the email showed Ambani visited then French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian’s office and mentioned an “MoU in preparation and the intention to sign during the PM visit (to France)”.
Addressing the press conference, Gandhi also slammed the yet to be tabled Comptroller and Auditor General report on the Rafale deal, and dubbed it “Chowkidar Auditor General” report.
Rebutting Gandhi’s allegations, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said his party had serious differences with former prime ministers, who came from the Gandhi family, over several “murky” defence deals signed during their term but had never accused them of treason.
“That CAG report is a worthless report. I would term it as a ‘Chowkidar Auditor General Report’. It is Narendra Modi’s report, written for the Chowkidar, on behalf of the Chowkidar, for the Chowkidar, by the Chowkidar,” he said.
He reiterated that there will no doubt in anybody’s mind that the prime minister is a “corrupt man” and he has helped Anil Ambani.
“Why don’t you (the government) allow a JPC. You can investigate us as much as you want,” he said in response to a question.
