Rafale row: Rahul Gandhi demands probe, BJP hits back

New Delhi, Oct 11: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a scathing attack on the Congress president Rahul Gandhi, saying he was creating confusion and spreading lies over Rafale deal.

Speaking to reporters during a press conference, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra called Rahul Gandhi a 'clown prince' and dared the Congress to move court if they have any evidence of corruption in the Rafale fighter jet deal.

BJP's response comes hours after Rahul Gandhi raised questions over Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's France visit and called PM Modi a 'corrupt man'.

Rahul unneccesarily creating confusion, says BJP

"The clown prince held a press conference on the basis of lie, the country knows he is creating confusion. Air Force Chief called Rafale as a game changer, now who is to be believed the Air Force Chief or Rahul Gandhi. Even the Supreme Court rejected the plea filed on the behest of Congress," Patra said.

Rahul Gandhi demands probe against PM

Earlier in the day, Congress president Rahul Gandhi demanded an investigation against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his role in the Rafale deal, alleging that he was a "corrupt man" who helped Anil Ambani pocket Rs 30,000 crore in the purchase of 36 aircraft.

Gandhi's demand for a probe came a day after a report in French publication that said Dassault Aviation, the manufacturer of Rafale, had to choose Ambani's firm Reliance Defence as its offsets partner in India as a trade-off for getting the deal.

Dassault clarifies

On Wednesday, French investigative publication Mediapart, citing an internal document of Dassault Aviation, reported that the aerospace giant was forced to enter into a joint venture with Reliance Defence as part of a trade-off to bag the contract for the 36 Rafale jet deal. Dassault Aviation said in a statement that it has "freely chosen to make a partnership with India's Reliance Group".

Last month, Mediapart quoted former French president Francois Hollande as saying that France was given "no choice" on selection of the Indian partner for Dassault and the Indian government proposed the name of the Indian company to partner with the French aerospace giant.

The report triggered a massive political row with Congress escalating its attack on the government and the government firmly rejecting the charges.