Rafale deal: Rahul seeks answer from PM Modi in “Yes or No”

New Delhi, Jan 7: Reiterating that Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman lied in Parliament, Rahul Gandhi on Monday sought answer from Narendra Modi in "Yes or No" to the allegation by the Congress president that the Prime Minister interfered in the Rafale deal despite opposition by the Indian Air Force (IAF) and senior defence ministry officials.

Speaking outside Parliament, Rahul said the Defence Minister gave a long reply in Lok Sabha but did not answer yes or no to the question whether PM interfered or not.

"Defence Minister had earlier said that Rs 1 lakh crore were given to HAL, we challenged that ,and today she said that Rs 26,570.80 crore were given to HAL, Nirmala Sitharaman Ji lied in the Parliament," he said.

"Today Nirmala Sitharaman lied in parliament. I am again requesting the Defence minister and PM Modi to answer "did Air Force and Defence ministry senior officers object to your interference in Rafale deal?" Please answer in a Yes or No," he said.

Terming the Congress's doubts over her statement on HAL contracts as "incorrect and misleading", Nirmala Sitharman earlier in Lok Sabha, said, "over Rs 26,000 crore worth of contracts have been awarded and work amounting to Rs 73,000 crore are in the pipeline."

Not accepting Sitharaman's statement in Lok Sabha, Rahul said the government hasn't paid HAL the Rs 15,700 crore it owed the public sector body for the planes and helicopters it had delivered.

On Sunday, Rahul said Defence Minister Sitharaman must place documents of the government orders before parliament, or resign.

The allegations came after media reports claimed HAL, grappling with low finances, had been forced to borrow money to pay its employees' salaries. The Times of India reported that though the process of ordering has been started, no actual orders have been placed yet. HAL is yet to comment on the matter.

Rahul had said on Friday that Sitharaman evaded his questions on the controversial deal. However, she dismissed all allegations of corruption and accused Congress president of misleading the nation.