War of words over Rafale deal: Rahul says ‘Puri Daal Kaali’, Jaitley calls him ‘liar’

New Delhi: The war of words over the Rafale deal intensified on Wednesday, with the Opposition led by Rahul Gandhi alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had “changed” the contract and pressing for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe, which was rejected by the government which called the Congress president a “liar”.
The issue generated much heat in the Lok Sabha which took up a debate on it. The House witnessed repeated uproar and disruptions as charges and counter-charges flew. Even papers and paper planes were thrown by some members.
During the debate, most of the Opposition parties pressed for a JPC probe and even the BJP ally Shiv Sena questioned transparency in the deal.
Initiating the debate, Gandhi said, “Jab humne yeh mudda pehli baar uthaya, humko laga daal mein kuch kaala hai…. Do saal baad pata chala, puri daal hi kaali hai (When we raised the issue initially, it seemed that there was something wrong in the deal but after two years, it looks like everything is wrong).” Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, while responding on behalf of the government, hit out at Gandhi, saying he was “manufacturing” and “inventing” corruption in a clean deal and indulging in “lies” for electoral gains.
Taking a dig at Gandhi, Jaitley said that it was regrettable that the “grand old party” Congress, which ruled the country for 60 years, was being headed by a person who “does not understand what a fighter aircraft is.”