Rahul alleges journos being threatened, told not to report on Rafale deal

Congress President Rahul Gandhi in a startling tweet posted on Monday, July 30 afternoon, alleged that journalists reporting on the Rafale fighter jet deal are receiving threatening messages, telling to “back off or else”.

“Supreme leader's minions are now sending threatening messages to journalists reporting on the #RafaleScam asking them to "back off or else...”. I'm really proud of the few brave press people who still have the guts to defend the truth and stand up to Mr 56,” tweeted the Congress President.

The Rafale deal has been in the news recently after the Congress party termed the Narendra Modi government’s decision to purchase 36 Rafale fighter aircrafts in April, 2015, a ₹1,30,000 crore scam.

In a statement issued on July 27, Congress had said the Defence Ministry’s awarding ₹30,000 crore ‘Defence Offset Contract’ to Reliance Defence Ltd in the Rafale deal was in violation of its own guidelines. The main Opposition party said that public sector undertaking Hindustan Aeronautics Limited was denied the biggest ever ‘Defence Offset Contract’, which instead went to a private company with zero experience in manufacturing fighter aircraft. It had questioned how then Commerce Minister and incumbent Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had granted industrial license for defence production to a company with zero experience in manufacturing fighter aircrafts, which did not even own any land or building at the time.

Congress had demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi answer the following questions on Rafale:

• Is it a fact that Reliance Defence Ltd was incorporated a mere 12 days before and Reliance Aerostructure Ltd was incorporated a mere 14 days after the unilateral announcement of purchase of 36 Rafale aircrafts in France by PM Modi on April 10, 2015?
• Is it a fact that Reliance Aerostructure Ltd did not own the premises at Village Lunsapur (Amreli), Gujarat at that time of submission of application for license for manufacturing fighter aircrafts?
• Is it a fact that even at that time of grant of industrial license on February 22, 2016, premises at Amreli, Gujarat were not owned by Reliance Aerostructure Ltd. and the said premises were acquired by Reliance Defence on January 18, 2016?
• Could an industrial license be granted by the Defence Ministry without this verification?

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