Rahul targets Defence Minister Nirmala Seetharaman on Rafale deal

Congress Vice president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday targeted Defence Minister Nirmala Seetharaman on Rafale deal, saying it is "shameful" that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is silencing her on revealing details.

Through twitter, Gandhi posed three questions to Nirmala, who on Friday described Congress' claims against the deal as shameful.

"Dear RM, what's shameful is your boss silencing you. Please tell us: 1. Final price of each Rafale jet? 2. Did PM take CCS permission before announcing purchase in Paris? 3. Why PM bypassed experienced HAL & gave the deal to AA rated businessman with no defence experience?" Gandhi tweeted.

In his posers to the Defence Minister, Rahul asked, the final price of Rafale jets as well as whether the deal was cleared by the Cabinet Committee of Security (CCS).

He also asked the media why it was not posing questions to Modi, whom he accused of changing the Rafale deal to the "benefit one businessman."

Rahul has been raising questions on the Rafale deal inked by the government to buy 38 fighter planes with no technology transfer; ignoring the deal signed by the UPA government to procure 126 planes.

On Friday, Congress had countered Nirmala saying, there are repeated attempts to cover up the irregularities in the deal and it raises serious questions on 'national interests' and security.

It also found fault with Nirmala claiming defence preparedness cannot be a subject matter of politicising nor can the sacrosanct premises of defence ministry be used for political mudslinging as is being done by the government and its defence minister.