Congress leaders getting high TRP in Pak: Jaitley

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday targeted Congress chief Rahul Gandhi for seeking a criminal investigation against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Rafale deal, saying his party is "boxed into a corner" on Pulwama and subsequent events following senior leaders remarks.

Jaitley said the statements by senior Congress leaders, which questioned the claims of the success of air strikes in Pakistan, was attracting "high TRPs on Pakistan television".

Emphasising that the government has repeatedly made its position clear on the Rafale issue, he said the Supreme Court has spoken on it and the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has analysed it.

"The petitioners (who have sought a review of the Rafale order) are taking one more chance...No dynast can claim that he is above the Supreme Court or the CAG and that those verdicts and findings don't apply," he told reporters during a briefing on Cabinet decisions when asked about Gandhi's demands earlier in the day.

Gandhi said, take action on those involved in this missing files case but also initiate an inquiry on PMO making parallel negotiations.” In Supreme Court, the government on Wednesday said two media houses used “stolen documents” from Ministry of Defence to base their stories.

"In today's comment which was made by the Congress party and its president, I am told the words were very few. The facts were completely wrong, and the motivation was also collateral. The Congress party has, in the last few days through statements of its senior leaders, boxed itself into a... cornered itself in a difficult situation. They are getting high TRPs on Pakistan television. But there is a revulsion as far as domestic opinion in India is concerned," he said.

He said the motivation to do so was to shift and take up an issue which is "factually false". Every falsehood spoken has been exposed, Jaitley claimed.

Asked about Attorney General K K Venugopal submission in Supreme Court that the government was moving to invoke Official Secrets Act against media houses which publicised defence documents, he said one should leave it to the court on what goes on inside the court.

"It is obvious that defence notings of sensitive interest have been leaked out. Don't forget, we have a free press and we respect that. Even the framers of the Constitution has given exemption to national security. That has never been challenged in the last 72 years," he said.