Congress to raise Rafale scam, expose BJP

NEW DELHI: The Congress party on Saturday decided to raise the Rafale aircraft “scam” in every state to “expose” the BJP in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Delhi.

The meeting reviewed a survey that projected the party as a sure winner in the Rajasthan assembly election this year.

The Congress leaders are of the view that Madhya Pradesh can also be seized with a serious effort.

The Rafale card will be put to test in the states going to polls ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

“This is one of the biggest defence scams of the country where Prime Minister Modi has directly helped one of his industrialist friends,” said Congress communication in-charge Randeep Surjewala after the meeting.

“We have decided to raise this issue at state and district level to make the people of this country aware about the loot under the current government,” he added.

AICC general secretary and organisation in-charge Ashok Gehlot will soon be releasing the schedule of the programme for each state.

According to party sources, it will be a month-long exercise.

The BJP had done a nation-wide CAMPAIGN to mark THE 43rd Anniversary of the Emergency, imposed by former prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1975.

BJP leaders travelled across the country and highlighted “excesses” committed during that period.

The Congress has asked its state presidents and general secretaries to highlight the Rafale deal, which party leaders said, can put the BJP on back foot in the upcoming elections.

A six-member task-force headed by Jaipal Reddy will run the campaign.

The Congress leadership also feels that the “grand alliance” in Uttar Pradesh will be a reality ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

A solid opposition unity can wreck the BJP, they feel.

This is the state which sends maximum number of MPS to the Lok Sabha.

Details of the move is kept under wraps as the BJP is expected to try and scuttle it.

Major non-bjp parties like the Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and the Congress are to get together in the UP.