Mantri ‘ no’ to Rafale probe, takes a swipe at Rahul ‘ ego’

Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Wednesday rejected the Congress’ demand for a probe into the Rafale fighter deal, saying an inquiry could not be set up only to satisfy the ego of an “ill- informed” leader of the Opposition party who “repeats lies”.

He also said former defence minister A. K. Antony had a lot to answer for keeping Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, the initial offset partner of the French maker of Rafale jets, in the lurch despite being in office for eight years. “I don’t think a JPC or CAG inquiry is set up to satisfy the ego of an illinformed leader who repeats lies with alarming regularity,” he told reporters, in a clear swipe at Rahul Gandhi.

His response came after Congress leaders met the Comptroller and Auditor- General ( CAG) seeking a probe into alleged irregularities in the Rafale deal and for leaving HAL out of the offset contract and transfer of technology. The Congress has been demanding a joint parliamentary committee probe into the entire issue.

Bengaluru: Rejecting the BJP’s allegation that he had paid money to the Congress’s Central leadership, Karnataka minister D. K. Shivakumar Wednesday accused the saffron party of misusing Central agencies to harass him and pull down the Congress- JD( S) government in the state. Pleading innocence, the high- profile minister said he was not involved in hawala transactions and was ready to face “any type of torture” by Central agencies. He asserted he would come out clean. Mr Shivakumar’s repudiation came after a Bharatiya Janata Party spokesman in New Delhi demanded that the top Congress leadership respond to the purported “confessional statements” made to the Income Tax department by his alleged associates claiming the money trail in a hawala network led to the Congress headquarters.— PTI