Rahul Gandhi targeting Modi over Rafale because of IT probe in NH case: Ravi Shankar Prasad

New Delhi, Aug 13: The BJP on Monday hit out at Congress President Rahul Gandhi, saying he was spreading a “blatant lie” against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government over alleged corruption in the Rafale deal to escape the income tax department inquiry against him related to the National Herald case. Addressing a press conference her, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the Rafale deal was completely transparent and honestly executed between two heads of government and its price is nine per cent less than what was negotiated under the UPA government. “Let the country know as to how upon a mere transfer of Rs 50 lakh, the AICC transferred the entire liability of Rs 90 crore to the Young India company which was a majority company owned by two individuals Sonia ji and Rahul Gandhi,” he said.

“And how is it by that process the entire property of Associated Journal comes to be owned by Young India company again owned by two individual, substantially. Rest very minority shareholder,” he added. The BJP leader said the real reason behind Rahul Gandhi’s accusation was that the Income Tax Department has been seeking a revision for financial year 2011-12 related to the transactions between the National Herald and Young India Pvt Ltd (YI).

Prasad said that there was a design behind Rahul Gandhi’s “reckless, baseless and false” accusations and refuted it, saying “The Rafael deal was completely transparent and honestly executed between two heads of government.” Slamming the Congress President for continuously speaking a lie inside Parliament and repeating the same outside Parliament, Prasad said that the price of the Rafale deal during the NDA government was 9 percent less than what was negotiated under the UPA government. (IANS)