Rahul dares PM for debate on Rafale; BJP hits back

NEW DELHI: Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a debate on the Rafale aircraft deal issue.

The Congress has raised several questions on the Rafale deal, accusing the government of compromising with national interests.

"Let a debate happen between Narendra Modi and me on Rafael deal. I will speak at length for hours," Gandhi said at "Jana Dwani" (people's voice) rally organised by the state Congress here in north Karnataka.

In a scathing attack on the Modi government, Gandhi said, "Chowkidar Hi Bhaagidar Hai. (This watchman is a collaborator)," and accused the prime minister of "stealing" taxpayers' money and giving it to his "friend" whose firm he alleged had bagged a contract in the Rafale deal.

The BJP hit back hard at Congress president Rahul Gandhi saying he is not worthy to have a debate with Modi.

Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also claimed that Gandhi is jittery after the Income Tax department opened assessment of a firm in which he and his mother Sonia Gandhi have a majority share, and alleged that the company -Young India - acquired over Rs 5,000 crore worth of assets with an investment of merely Rs 50 lakh.

The BJP leader accused Gandhi of repeatedly lying in his allegations of corruptions against the Modi government.

He reiterated that the government had honestly executed the Rafale deal with complete transparency.

Hitting back at critics drawing a parallel between the Rafale deal and the alleged Bofors scam, he said everyone knows how a family was saved in the latter and a family friend was allowed to escape, in an apparent reference to the Gandhi family.

He asserted that the base price of the Rafale fighter aircraft negotiated by the NDA government was nine per cent less than the one decided on by the UPA dispensation.