The political slugfest over the Rafale deal escalated on Sunday, with Union Minister Arun Jaitley claiming that “every word said against the government has proved to be false” and “every fact stated by vested interests against the deal proved to be manufactured”. The Supreme Court had dismissed the opposition’s plea for a court-monitored probe into the purchase of the 36 jet aircraft. “As a political opponent, Rahul Gandhi’s opposition to the deal was a desperate attempt. Claiming that Rahul was carrying the load of a “stigmatised legacy which was tainted by Bofors”, Jaitley said, “He (Rahul) was desperately trying to bring an ‘immoral equivalence’ between Rafale and Bofors. Opposition leaders said there was no CAG report yet on the deal and alleged that the government had misled the court by presenting wrong facts.

Source: Indian Express December 16, 2018 11:14 UTC