Reacting to comments made by Rahul Gandhi on his meeting with Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar, the former defence minister has sent a strongly worded letter to the Congress president. Yesterday Rahul Gandhi had met Parikar in Goa. Talking about the meeting later at a rally, Rahul Gandhi had claimed that Parrikar had told him that Parrikar had “nothing to do with the new Rafale deal orchestrated by Mr Narendra Modi to benefit Anil Ambani”.
Reacting to that statement, Manohar Parrikar says in the letter that he feels let down that Rahul Gandhi has used the visit for his ‘petty political gains’. He says that “in the 05 minutes you spent with me, neither did you mention anything about Rafale, nor did we discuss anything about/related to it”.
The former defence minister further clarified that the Inter Government Agreement between Indian and French government and the procurement of the Rafale jet is done as per Defence Procurement Protocol (DPP). He stated the aircraft is being procured following all standard procedures keeping national security as top priority.
Parrikar also writes that paying a courtesy visit and then stooping so low as to make a false statement for petty political gain raises questions about the sincerity and purpose of Rahul Gandhi’s visit.
The full letter can be viewed below:
