PM Modi directly involved in scam, says Rahul Gandhi while addressing media on Rafale

New Delhi, Feb 08: Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday launched an attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Rafale deal and accused the PMO of running "parallel negotiations" with the French side.

Speaking to media, Rahul said,''PM Modi himself robbed Air Force's Rs 30,000 crore and gave it to Anil Ambani, we have been raising this since 1 year. Now a report has come where Defence Ministry officials say that PM was holding parallel negotiations with France Government.''

"The media report today makes it clear that the PM himself was carrying out a parallel negotiation with the French. We have been saying there should be a JPC, an inquiry. Now the (then) minister himself has said it," Gandhi said at a press briefing at AICC headquarters in New Delhi.

Rahul Gandhi denied talking about the jet deal with Manohar Parrikar. "No, I did not speak about Rafale with Manohar Parrikar when we met recently. It would be inappropriate for me to discuss this at such a time (when he is unwell)," he said.

On Thursday, mounting a fresh offensive on Narendra Modi, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi called the prime minister a "darpok" (coward) and dared him to a five minute face-to-face debate on issues such as the controversial Rafale jet deal and national security.

The presser was called after The Hindu, in its report, claimed the Defence Ministry had expressed strong reservations to the "parallel negotiations" conducted by the Prime Minister's Office with France on the multi-billion dollar deal.

[Congress does not want our Air Force to be strong: PM Modi on Rafale]

According to the report by N. Ram, at the height of the negotiations over the controversial €7.87 billion Rafale deal between India and France, the Defence Ministry raised strong objections to "parallel negotiations" conducted by the PMO with the French side. Stating that it was clear that such parallel discussions by the PMO had "weakened the negotiating position of MoD and Indian Negotiating Team," a Defence Ministry note dated November 24, 2015 brought this to the attention of the then Defence Minister, Manohar Parrikar.