Defence Minister must quit over ‘web of lies’: Congress

Former chief refutes claim that HAL did not have capability to build Rafale fighter jets

The Congress yesterday demanded Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s resignation accusing her of “misleading” the country after former HAL chief T.S. Raju refuted her claim that the defence undertaking did not have the capability to build Rafale fighter jets.

Leading the charge, Congress President Rahul Gandhi earlier in the day tweeted: “The RM (Rafale Minister) tasked with defending corruption has been caught lying again.

“The former HAL chief, T.S. Raju, has nailed her lie that Hindustan Aeronautics Limited didn’t have the capability to build the Rafale. Her position is untenable and she must resign.” Subsequently former Union Minister Manish Tewari citing Raju’s assertions made to a national daily, reiterated the demand for the Defence Minister’s resignation.

He said the Modi government’s “web of lies” surrounding the controversial defence deal has been demolished.

Besides asserting that the Bengaluru-headquartered Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) capability of building the French fighter jets, Raju also claimed that Dassault and the state-owned aerospace and a defence company had signed a mutual work-share contract and given it to the government.

“Raju, who retired on September 1, has absolutely demolished the entire case that the Modi government has tried to build in the last few months,” Tewari told the media.