You stole money and gave to your friend Anil Ambani: Rahul attacks PM Modi on Rafale

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday held a press conference on Rafale fighter deal in the national capital and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being directly involved in the Rafale fighter jet deal with France. He claimed that the prime minister was carrying out a parallel negotiation with the French government. "We have been saying for more than a year that the Prime Minister is directly involved in the Rafale scam," Gandhi said while addressing a press conference at the party headquarters on Akbar Road.

"Today, The Hindu newspaper has put it in black and white. It is absolutely clear that the Prime Minister himself was carrying out a parallel negotiation with the French," he said.

"This is your money and this is about your future. And here it is absolutely clear that Modi has stolen Rs 30,000 crore of your money and given it to his friend (an Indian industrialist)," he said. His remarks come after The Hindu published a report: "Defence Ministry protested against PMO undermining Rafale negotiations".

"Now Ministry itself has said that we may advise PMO (Prime Minister's Office) that any officers who are not part of Indian Negotiating Team may refrain from having parallel parlays," the Congress president said.

"Even the Defence official was against such discussions and had desired for them to be avoided by the PMO as it undermines our negotiating position seriously,” he said while quoting the remarks of the Defence Secretary in the letter to then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.

"It cannot get any clearer or stronger than this," Gandhi said. 

Highlights of Rahul Gandhi's press conference on Rafale: