Rafale row: Rahul Gandhi stalling country's growth, says Delhi BJP chief

Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari on Sunday slammed the Congress president Rahul Gandhi accusing him of stalling the country's growth by raking up the Rafale deal time and again. 

" Mr Gandhi let the armed forces develop and be stronger, Do not disrupt the nation`s growth by becoming a hurdle. Rafale can exchange fuel for 3-4 days in the air, can even load weapons during the flight," he reportedly told ANI.

"The way in which Narendra Modi has strengthened the defence of India, it is becoming a big issue for the Congress and its allies. If someone is having a problem with the strengthening of the defence sector then we do not have any solution for it," Tiwari said.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday attacked the Congress president by saying, "Rahul Gandhi is quite confused about the Rafale Deal. Every time he speaks about Rafale, he gives a wrong data about the deal."

BJP criticised Rahul Gandhi after the latter alleged kickbacks in the deal. 

"Anil Ambani bought land with the same money. This is clear that Dassault CEO is lying. Why did they invest Rs 284 crore in a loss-making company?" Rahul said while addressing a press conference on Friday.

Rafale jet deal has been a bone of contention with opposition parties alleging corruption in the high-profile defence deal signed between India and France governments in 2016.

The Congress has time and again asked the government to reveal the pricing details of the aircraft. However, the government has refused to share the details, citing a secrecy clause.