Rafale issue gaining momentum in three state elections likely to go to polls in December! Rahul in an offensive mode

The controvertial issue of Rafale is gaining momentum day by day with the Congress Party and its chief Rahul Gandhi not ready to relent at any cost, making it his main issue of propaganda in all his public meetings being addressed in the states going for election in December.

The Congress Party has already made Rafale, inflation and banking frauds its main election plank for 2019 elections on the same lines as was Bofors kick back issue tactically used by Rajiv Gandhi’s bete noire and the then PM Vishwanath Pratap Singh and the rest of the non Congress opposition including the BJP resulting in ousting Rajiv n the Congress party at the hustings during past decades.

However, despite so much of hulla balloo and the media hype including filing of several court cases and demeaning of the late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi image, the former PM was finally acquitted but after his sad and tragic assasination and so much of trials and tribulations.

It seems now that the Congress party president and the Nehru Gandhi scion is in no mood to relent on Rafale jet fighters issue thus avenging the Bofors attack of the anti Congress opposition that resulted in immense harm to the 135 year old party during Rajiv Gandhi’s era.

The systematic and relentless anti Rafale campaign by the entire party and its president Rahul Gandhi compounded with the ongoing attacks by the old BJP stalwarts, now PM Modi’s arch rivals and former ministers Arun Shourie, Yashwant Sinha and Prashant Bhushan, senior advocate and leader of Swaraj party through incessant press conferences and public meetings has finally compelled the BJP led NDA and the top party leadership to adopt a somewhat defensive posture though they are trying their every best shot to counter the Congress attack. The war of words on Rafale between the Congress and the BJP has reached to such a pass that now the prime minister Narendra Modi, Defence minister Nirmala Sitaraman, Law minister Shiv Shankar Prasad and the most vociferous and law expert former union minister Subramaniam Swamy has taken the ruling party cudgels in their hands to counter the most vociferous onslaught of the Congress leaders viz. Rahul Gandhi, for defence minister A.K. Antony, Randeep Singh Surjewala and others accusing the saffron party government of misleading the entire nation of Rafale Jet fighters deal with French Company Dassault Aviation by not only increasing the cost of the jet fighters three times from 526 crore per aircraft to 1700 crores but also lessening tbe numbers of the Jet fighters and pre strategically keeping out HAL inlieu of Reliance defence, the private company allegedly accorded favours for offset contract despite possessing no experience in defence production.

The Congress led entire non BJP opposition has demanded the joint parliamentary probe into the whole episode as was asked for by the then anti Congress opposition on controvertial Bofors kick back issue while Rajiv Gandhi was the prime minister of the country.

The non BJP opposition leaders led by Rahul Gandhi say that if the deal is really honest and transparent then why and what’s the hitch for the ruling party to allow the JPC probe into the controvertial Rafale deal , which has been outrightly denied bythe rulingparty govt tillnow.

The Defence minister Nirmala Sitaraman instead, has now fired a fresh salvo accusing the then UPA government for ousting the HAL out of the Rafale deal saying that it was actually the Congress government that has kept the HAL out and not the BJP led NDA government as being falsely accused by the Congress President Rahul Gandhi.

The former defence minister and member of the party’s CWC A. K. Antony has rebutted the charges of Dr. Nirmala Sitaraman saying that the latter is blemishing the transparent image of Hindustan Aeronautics limited.

Last week the defence minister said that the previous negotiations for 126 jet fighters had collapsed as the HAL was not posessing the requisite capacity and capability to produce the fighters in collaboration with Dassault.

Antony asked the present government, praising and vindicating the deal finalised during the UPA regime, as to why had it not purchased the entire lot of 126 aircrafts instead of 36 and that too at the cost going up by three times.

However, Rahul Gandhi in all his addresses whether in Karnool Andhra Pradesh or Bhopal yesterday n few days before has accused the PM n the BJP for irregularities in the Rafale deal demanding the Joint Parliamentary probe forthwith.

Political analysts say that while the issue of Rafale is a hot topic in the ensuing four state elections in addition to the banking frauds and increasing prices of petroleum products, the issue of farmers suicides and agrarian crisis is also gaining ground in the states likely to go to the polls with the anti incumbency factors adding to the woes of the ruling BJP. What’s your take friends?