Rafale Deal: Rahul Gandhi tags PM Narendra Modi as 'corrupt'

New Delhi : In a fresh attack, Congress President Rahul Gandhi tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi as 'corrupt', demanded his clarification over raging Rafale controversy.

"We are absolutely convinced that the Prime Minister of India is corrupt. This question is now clearly settled in the mind of the Indian people that ‘desh ka chowkidaar’ chor hai," said Gandhi during a press conference in New Delhi.

Rahul Gandhi's attack comes a day after French media quoted former French president Francois Hollande as saying Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence name was proposed by the Indian government and France did not had a choice for Rafale deal collaboration.

Holland's remark contradict Indian government claims that the deal between Dassault and Reliance was a commercial pact between two private parties and the government had nothing to do with it.

“It is very important for PM now to either accept Mr. Hollande’s statement or state that Mr. Hollande is lying and tell what the truth is,” the Congress president said. “For the first time, an ex-French President is calling our PM a thief. It is a question of the dignity of the office of Prime Minister. It is the question of the future of our jawans and the Air Force.”

“Ex-President of France has made a statement about the PM of India. He says with regard to Rafale contract, ‘we didn’t have any say in this matter. It’s the Indian govt that proposed’. Now, the Prime Minister should clarify on his statement,” Gandhi said.

Opposition parties, including the Congress, have alleged that undue favours had been granted to Ambani’s firm in this deal, a company without any defence manufacturing experience.