Rafale Deal: Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi accuses BJP of "manipulating" Supreme Court

After Supreme Court (SC) gave a clean chit to the central government on Rafale Deal case, Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi on Saturday accused the Narendra Modi government of manipulating and misguiding people and the apex court.

The Supreme Court in its verdict also dismissed the petitions seeking an independent probe into the matter for the alleged corruption in the buying of 36 jets from France.

Earlier on Friday, SC in its order mentioned the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) report stating that it has been submitted to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and was introduced in the Parliament.

This paragraph states that the PAC investigated the CAG report which was submitted to the Supreme Court by the CAG in a sealed cover. How is then possible for the SC to misinterpret it? The BJP is celebrating this verdict as their victory but is conveniently refraining from answering the question raised by Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday over the CAG report. Our eloquent PM and extra vocal Finance Minister are surprisingly silent on it,” said Singhvi pointing at Paragraph 25 of the SC judgement.

In its verdict, the apex court stated that since 2012 Dassault Aviation shared a relationship with Reliance Defence. Questioning the same, Singhavi asserted that “Reliance Defence was set up on March 28, 2015, and its subsidiary was set up on April 24, 2015. PM Modi visited France on April 10, 2015. If these dates are to be believed, then how does the SC verdict state that Dassault Aviation has connections with Reliance?”

Pressing on Rahul Gandhi’s demand, Singhavi stated that Congress wants a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) in the matter because Supreme Court had said that they cannot conduct a judicial review in the pricing of the Jets. However, BJP has refused JPC saying that it cannot be formed in issues where probes are conducted.

Singhvi pointed out that BJP when in opposition, demanded JPC probe in the 2G scam, Bofors, and Harshad Mehta scam while threatening to disrupt the Parliamentary proceedings.