Sources in the Congress party&nbsp;have confirmed that a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting may take place in the next fortnight to deliberate on the issue of a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/congress-gets-down-to-business-without-its-president-rahul-gandhi-227096">new president as Rahul Gandhi</a> has not changed his mind on his decision to quit.

Sources confirmed that the choice for the top job is limited but appointment needs to come soon as the party will need to prepare for elections in Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Haryana. Senior leaders are reticent to address the issue in the open as they feel they can be targeted in the process but privately admit that the issue needs a quick resolution.

Rahul Gandhi was asked this question outside Parliament and he said&nbsp;that it is the party and not him who is going to decide about the next Congress president. He also reiterated his stand on the Rafale deal. His response was sought on Rafale finding a mention in the Presidential address to which he said that he maintains the position that "theft" did take place.

Rafale as a Lok Sabha election issue had backfired for the Congress. The issue instead of discrediting the prime minister, ended up discrediting&nbsp;Congress. The party has already petitioned CVC for a probe in the alleged scam in the Rafale fighter jet deal.

Sources in the Congress party have confirmed that a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting may take place in the next fortnight to deliberate on the issue of a new president as Rahul Gandhi has not changed his mind on his decision to quit.

Sources in the Congress party have confirmed that a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting may take place in the next fortnight to deliberate on the issue of a new president as Rahul Gandhi has not changed his mind on his decision to quit. Sources confirmed that the choice for the top job is limited but appointment needs to come soon as the party will need to prepare for elections in Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Haryana. Senior leaders are reticent to address the issue in the open as they feel they can be targeted in the process but privately admit that the issue needs a quick resolution. Rahul Gandhi was asked this question outside Parliament and he said that it is the party and not him who is going to decide about the next Congress president. He also reiterated his stand on the Rafale deal. His response was sought on Rafale finding a mention in the Presidential address to which he said that he maintains the position that "theft" did take place. Rafale as a Lok Sabha election issue had backfired for the Congress. The issue instead of discrediting the prime minister, ended up discrediting Congress. The party has already petitioned CVC for a probe in the alleged scam in the Rafale fighter jet deal.

CWC meeting on new Congress president may take place soon

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi Tuesday said he understands the pain of jawans, Air Force officers, the families of martyred pilots as well as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited workers and will work to bring to justice all those who dishonoured and stole from them.&nbsp;

Gandhi addressed them all on Twitter in his apparent attack against the Narendra Modi government on the issue of the Rafale fighter jet deal.&nbsp;

"To every Air Force officer and Jawan who has served India. To the family of every martyred Indian fighter pilot. To every person who ever worked for HAL.

We hear your pain. We understand how you feel. We will bring to justice all those who dishonoured and stole from you," he said on Twitter.&nbsp;

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To every Air Force officer and Jawan who has served India. To the family of every martyred Indian fighter pilot. To every person who ever worked for HAL. We hear your pain. We understand how you feel. We will bring to justice all those who dishonoured and stole from you. <a href="https://t.co/gNFgnaYn4W">pic.twitter.com/gNFgnaYn4W</a>
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) <a href="https://twitter.com/RahulGandhi/status/1044499479456600064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 25, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Gandhi has been attacking the government on the Rafale deal, accusing the Modi government and the prime minister of putting money into the pockets of his "crony" friends.&nbsp;

Yesterday, he said the country's "chowkidar" Modi snatched money away from the poor and handed it over to industrialist Anil Ambani. Gandhi also asked the prime minister for answers on several issues relating to the Rafale jet fighter deal.

"The chowkidar of the country has taken out Rs 20,000 crore from the pockets of the poor, martyrs and the jawans and put it in the pocket of (Anil) Ambani," Gandhi said at a meeting in the Jais area of his Lok Sabha constituency.&nbsp;

"HAL which has been in the business for 70 years, makes aircraft...While Anil Ambani had not made an aircraft in his life and also has an outstanding bank loan of Rs 45,000 crore," he said. 
&nbsp;

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi Tuesday said he understands the pain of jawans, Air Force officers, the families of martyred pilots as well as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited workers and will work to bring to justice all those who dishonoured and stole from them.

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi Tuesday said he understands the pain of jawans, Air Force officers, the families of martyred pilots as well as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited workers and will work to bring to justice all those who dishonoured and stole from them. Gandhi addressed them all on Twitter in his apparent attack against the Narendra Modi government on the issue of the Rafale fighter jet deal. "To every Air Force officer and Jawan who has served India. To the family of every martyred Indian fighter pilot. To every person who ever worked for HAL. We hear your pain. We understand how you feel. We will bring to justice all those who dishonoured and stole from you," he said on Twitter. To every Air Force officer and Jawan who has served India. To the family of every martyred Indian fighter pilot. To every person who ever worked for HAL. We hear your pain. We understand how you feel. We will bring to justice all those who dishonoured and stole from you. pic.twitter.com/gNFgnaYn4W — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 25, 2018 × Gandhi has been attacking the government on the Rafale deal, accusing the Modi government and the prime minister of putting money into the pockets of his "crony" friends. Yesterday, he said the country's "chowkidar" Modi snatched money away from the poor and handed it over to industrialist Anil Ambani. Gandhi also asked the prime minister for answers on several issues relating to the Rafale jet fighter deal. "The chowkidar of the country has taken out Rs 20,000 crore from the pockets of the poor, martyrs and the jawans and put it in the pocket of (Anil) Ambani," Gandhi said at a meeting in the Jais area of his Lok Sabha constituency. "HAL which has been in the business for 70 years, makes aircraft...While Anil Ambani had not made an aircraft in his life and also has an outstanding bank loan of Rs 45,000 crore," he said.

Rafale deal:  Will bring to justice those who stole from you, Rahul tells jawans, IAF officers

Congress President Rahul Gandhi launched a one-line Twitter broadside against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.&nbsp;In his tweet, he wrote: "The sad truth about India's Commander in Thief".&nbsp;

A video from the French online journal Mediapart accompanies the tweet. Mediapart is an independent French online investigative and opinion journal.&nbsp;

In the video, a Mediapart anchor dissects former French president Francois Hollande's recent reply to a question on the Rafale deal.&nbsp;

The anchor quotes Hollande as saying: "We did not have a choice. We did not have a word to say about that subject. The Indian government suggested this service provider and Dassault negotiated with Ambani. We did not have a choice. We picked the interlocutor which was selected for us by the Indian government..."&nbsp;

"That's the contrary" (between what the Indian and French government are saying), the anchor adds.&nbsp;

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The sad truth about India's Commander in Thief. <a href="https://t.co/USrxqlJTWe">pic.twitter.com/USrxqlJTWe</a>
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) <a href="https://twitter.com/RahulGandhi/status/1044120989116829696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 24, 2018</a></blockquote>
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A new Rafale deal was brokered between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Hollande in 2015. In the new deal, India was to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets from France's Dassault Aviation.&nbsp;

The original deal had been brokered between India's previous UPA government and Hollande.&nbsp;

The Congress now alleges that the Modi government has agreed to pay three times the amount the UPA had agreed to pay for every Rafale. The Congress also alleges that — the allegations are spearheaded by Congress President Rahul Gandhi — the public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, which was part of the original deal, was in the new deal junked in favour of the private Reliance Defence Ltd owned by Anil Ambani.&nbsp;

Ambani's Reliance Defence has little to no experience in the defence and aerospace manufacturing industries.&nbsp;

Rahul Gandhi alleges Ambani was given a sweetheart deal. (Under India's defence equipment acquisition laws, Dassault has to spend 30% of the money paid to it in India.)

The Indian government has so far been saying Dassault chose Reliance Defence on its own, and that it had no part to play in the choosing.&nbsp;

That explanation however fell flat on its face when former French president Francois Hollande said recently while on a trip to India that the Indian government had chosen Reliance Defence to be part of the deal and not Dassault Aviation.&nbsp;

On Monday, Gandhi followed up his tweet by telling reporters that Hollande has called Modi a "thief" (chor) and that the prime minister (Modi) must explain why this is happening.&nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a>: Congress President Rahul Gandhi says on Rafale deal, "the main issue is that the former France President has called Indian Prime Minister a 'thief', and Narendra Modi has to clarify on it" <a href="https://t.co/a5xFkOSYxl">pic.twitter.com/a5xFkOSYxl</a>
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/1044180427823443968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 24, 2018</a></blockquote>
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An answer from the BJP came from Defence Minister NIrmala&nbsp;Sitharaman, who told ANI: "This is a perception battle. We will fight this battle. We'll go to places and state facts on record on Rafale. Congress designs to run a smear campaign against us at an international level."

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Congress President Rahul Gandhi launched a one-line Twitter broadside against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday. In his tweet, he wrote: "The sad truth about India's Commander in Thief".

Congress President Rahul Gandhi launched a one-line Twitter broadside against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday. In his tweet, he wrote: "The sad truth about India's Commander in Thief". A video from the French online journal Mediapart accompanies the tweet. Mediapart is an independent French online investigative and opinion journal. In the video, a Mediapart anchor dissects former French president Francois Hollande's recent reply to a question on the Rafale deal. The anchor quotes Hollande as saying: "We did not have a choice. We did not have a word to say about that subject. The Indian government suggested this service provider and Dassault negotiated with Ambani. We did not have a choice. We picked the interlocutor which was selected for us by the Indian government..." "That's the contrary" (between what the Indian and French government are saying), the anchor adds. The sad truth about India's Commander in Thief. pic.twitter.com/USrxqlJTWe — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 24, 2018 × A new Rafale deal was brokered between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Hollande in 2015. In the new deal, India was to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets from France's Dassault Aviation. The original deal had been brokered between India's previous UPA government and Hollande. The Congress now alleges that the Modi government has agreed to pay three times the amount the UPA had agreed to pay for every Rafale. The Congress also alleges that — the allegations are spearheaded by Congress President Rahul Gandhi — the public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, which was part of the original deal, was in the new deal junked in favour of the private Reliance Defence Ltd owned by Anil Ambani. Ambani's Reliance Defence has little to no experience in the defence and aerospace manufacturing industries. Rahul Gandhi alleges Ambani was given a sweetheart deal. (Under India's defence equipment acquisition laws, Dassault has to spend 30% of the money paid to it in India.) The Indian government has so far been saying Dassault chose Reliance Defence on its own, and that it had no part to play in the choosing. That explanation however fell flat on its face when former French president Francois Hollande said recently while on a trip to India that the Indian government had chosen Reliance Defence to be part of the deal and not Dassault Aviation. On Monday, Gandhi followed up his tweet by telling reporters that Hollande has called Modi a "thief" (chor) and that the prime minister (Modi) must explain why this is happening. #WATCH: Congress President Rahul Gandhi says on Rafale deal, "the main issue is that the former France President has called Indian Prime Minister a 'thief', and Narendra Modi has to clarify on it" pic.twitter.com/a5xFkOSYxl — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 24, 2018 × An answer from the BJP came from Defence Minister NIrmala Sitharaman, who told ANI: "This is a perception battle. We will fight this battle. We'll go to places and state facts on record on Rafale. Congress designs to run a smear campaign against us at an international level."

Watch: Rahul Gandhi says ex-French president Francois Hollande has called Modi a 'thief'

A day after calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi ''thief'', Rahul Gandhi on Sunday took a swipe at Finance Minister Arun Jaitley with a cryptic tweet and accused him of defending the ''indefensible''.&nbsp;

Punning on the union minister's surname that he is a lier, Rahul tweeted, ''Mr Jetlie’s speciality is his ability to spin &nbsp;“2 truths”, or lies, with fake self-righteousness &amp; indignation to defend the indefensible.'' &nbsp;

''It’s high time he (Jaitley), the RM &amp; our PM stop lying and call a JPC to establish the full, uncorrupted truth about the #RafaleScam,'' he further said in the tweet.

Congress and BJP are locked in a war of words over the ongoing Rafale deal with both accusing each other of corruption.&nbsp;

Yesterday, Rahul Gandhi taking a swipe at BJP's much-touted surgical strikes on said PM &nbsp;Modi and Anil Ambani carried out a &nbsp;one hundred &amp; thirty thousand crore, surgical strike on the Indian Defence forces.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, Jaitley on Sunday responded to Raul's thief remark.

Finance Minister talking to news agency ANI, on Sunday attacked Congress President Rahul Gandhi over lowering the public discourse. Jaitley said; "Public discourse is not a laughter challenge, you go and hug someone, wink at someone, then keep giving wrong statements. In a democracy, you have the right to criticise but the choice of words should be such that it shows some semblance of intelligence"

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Mr Jetlie’s speciality is his ability to spin “2 truths”, or lies, with fake self righteousness &amp; indignation to defend the indefensible. It’s high time he, the RM &amp; our PM stop lying and call a JPC to establish the full, uncorrupted truth about the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RafaleScam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RafaleScam</a>. <a href="https://t.co/iQxrV5ooN5">pic.twitter.com/iQxrV5ooN5</a>
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) <a href="https://twitter.com/RahulGandhi/status/1043822025234677761?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2018</a></blockquote>
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A day after calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi ''thief'', Rahul Gandhi on Sunday took a swipe at Finance Minister Arun Jaitley with a cryptic tweet and accused him of defending the ''indefensible''.

A day after calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi ''thief'', Rahul Gandhi on Sunday took a swipe at Finance Minister Arun Jaitley with a cryptic tweet and accused him of defending the ''indefensible''. Punning on the union minister's surname that he is a lier, Rahul tweeted, ''Mr Jetlie’s speciality is his ability to spin “2 truths”, or lies, with fake self-righteousness & indignation to defend the indefensible.'' ''It’s high time he (Jaitley), the RM & our PM stop lying and call a JPC to establish the full, uncorrupted truth about the #RafaleScam,'' he further said in the tweet. Congress and BJP are locked in a war of words over the ongoing Rafale deal with both accusing each other of corruption. Yesterday, Rahul Gandhi taking a swipe at BJP's much-touted surgical strikes on said PM Modi and Anil Ambani carried out a one hundred & thirty thousand crore, surgical strike on the Indian Defence forces. Meanwhile, Jaitley on Sunday responded to Raul's thief remark. Finance Minister talking to news agency ANI, on Sunday attacked Congress President Rahul Gandhi over lowering the public discourse. Jaitley said; "Public discourse is not a laughter challenge, you go and hug someone, wink at someone, then keep giving wrong statements. In a democracy, you have the right to criticise but the choice of words should be such that it shows some semblance of intelligence" Mr Jetlie’s speciality is his ability to spin “2 truths”, or lies, with fake self righteousness & indignation to defend the indefensible. It’s high time he, the RM & our PM stop lying and call a JPC to establish the full, uncorrupted truth about the #RafaleScam. pic.twitter.com/iQxrV5ooN5 — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 23, 2018 ×

Rahul Gandhi calls for JPC to establish 'uncorrupted' truth in Rafale deal

Describing Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a symbol of honesty after Congress president Rahul Gandhi threw the "thief" barb at him, the BJP Saturday rejected former French president Francois Hollande's sensational claim on the Rafale deal, saying it does not know under what compulsion he said so.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also said that Dassault Aviation, the manufacturer of the fighter aircraft, and Reliance had entered into an agreement as early as 2012 when the Congress-led UPA was in power as he refuted the allegation that the Modi government had favoured the Anil Ambani-led company.&nbsp;

Ruling out Gandhi's demand for a joint parliamentary committee probe into the deal, he told a press conference that it cannot be done merely to satisfy the ego of "an arrogant and ill-informed leader repeating lies after lies".

Prasad also cited statements of the French government and Dassault in which they said Indian and French dispensations had no role in picking the offset partner of the private company, to brush aside the charge of corruption.

He sought to discredit the claim of Hollande, who had said that the Indian government has proposed Reliance as an offset partner, saying that French journalists have spoken about his "conflict of interests". It is none of our concern, he then added.

The BJP leader raked up a number of cases of alleged corruption involving the Gandhi family to launch a stinging attack on the Congress president, saying his family is the "source of corruption" in the country.

No prime minister of India has been spoken of in a manner Gandhi did about Modi, he said, terming his comments as "irresponsible and shameful" and that he had painted his face black with such remarks.

"We cannot expect anything better from Gandhi. He has no quality, no capability and whatever he is he owes to his family... Modi is a symbol of honesty and a global leader," Prasad said, claiming that doors for middlemen and power brokers have been shut under his government.

Gandhi told reporters that "what the ex-President of France is saying is that the Prime Minister of India is a 'thief'. That is what this (Hollande's) statement is saying".

He went to add: "And it is very important for the Prime Minister of India now to either accept Mr Hollande's statement and say Yes, it is the truth -- Mr

Narendra Modi gave the Rafale contract in Rs.30,000 crore to Mr Anil Ambani, or Mr Hollande is not telling the truth and here is the truth."

Prasad said the UPA government terminated negotiations with Dassault after a contract negotiation committee had chosen it as the lowest bidder in 2012 following years of process because the company did not pay it "bribe".

There was pressure on the company for "extraneous considerations", he said, adding that Modi decided to go ahead with the Rafale deal after coming to power in May 2014 as Indian Air Force needed fighter aircraft urgently and the entire exercise had been dragging on for several years.

He also alleged that Gandhi was "helping" Pakistan and had been playing into the hands of India's "enemies", by demanding that the government reveal full price details of the deal.

He said Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi are on bail in a case of corruption, a reference to the National Herald matter, and alleged that his family had taken bribe in the Bofors case.

The country cannot expect any better from a leader who kept quiet while his brother-in-law looted land, Prasad said, in a reference to cases involving Robert Vadra.

Prasad reiterated the government's claim the basic price of Rafale negotiated by it was nine per cent cheaper than what the UPA had agreed to while its fully weaponised version was 20 per cent cheaper.

In 2012, when Dassault signed the agreement with Reliance, the company was led by Mukesh Ambani. Anil Ambani is his younger brother.&nbsp; 
Whatever happened between the two brothers is their matter, Prasad said.&nbsp;

Describing Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a symbol of honesty after Congress president Rahul Gandhi threw the "thief" barb at him, the BJP Saturday rejected former French president Francois Hollande's sensational claim on the Rafale deal, saying it does not know under what compulsion he said so.

Describing Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a symbol of honesty after Congress president Rahul Gandhi threw the "thief" barb at him, the BJP Saturday rejected former French president Francois Hollande's sensational claim on the Rafale deal, saying it does not know under what compulsion he said so. Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also said that Dassault Aviation, the manufacturer of the fighter aircraft, and Reliance had entered into an agreement as early as 2012 when the Congress-led UPA was in power as he refuted the allegation that the Modi government had favoured the Anil Ambani-led company. Ruling out Gandhi's demand for a joint parliamentary committee probe into the deal, he told a press conference that it cannot be done merely to satisfy the ego of "an arrogant and ill-informed leader repeating lies after lies". Prasad also cited statements of the French government and Dassault in which they said Indian and French dispensations had no role in picking the offset partner of the private company, to brush aside the charge of corruption. He sought to discredit the claim of Hollande, who had said that the Indian government has proposed Reliance as an offset partner, saying that French journalists have spoken about his "conflict of interests". It is none of our concern, he then added. The BJP leader raked up a number of cases of alleged corruption involving the Gandhi family to launch a stinging attack on the Congress president, saying his family is the "source of corruption" in the country. No prime minister of India has been spoken of in a manner Gandhi did about Modi, he said, terming his comments as "irresponsible and shameful" and that he had painted his face black with such remarks. "We cannot expect anything better from Gandhi. He has no quality, no capability and whatever he is he owes to his family... Modi is a symbol of honesty and a global leader," Prasad said, claiming that doors for middlemen and power brokers have been shut under his government. Gandhi told reporters that "what the ex-President of France is saying is that the Prime Minister of India is a 'thief'. That is what this (Hollande's) statement is saying". He went to add: "And it is very important for the Prime Minister of India now to either accept Mr Hollande's statement and say Yes, it is the truth -- Mr Narendra Modi gave the Rafale contract in Rs.30,000 crore to Mr Anil Ambani, or Mr Hollande is not telling the truth and here is the truth." Prasad said the UPA government terminated negotiations with Dassault after a contract negotiation committee had chosen it as the lowest bidder in 2012 following years of process because the company did not pay it "bribe". There was pressure on the company for "extraneous considerations", he said, adding that Modi decided to go ahead with the Rafale deal after coming to power in May 2014 as Indian Air Force needed fighter aircraft urgently and the entire exercise had been dragging on for several years. He also alleged that Gandhi was "helping" Pakistan and had been playing into the hands of India's "enemies", by demanding that the government reveal full price details of the deal. He said Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi are on bail in a case of corruption, a reference to the National Herald matter, and alleged that his family had taken bribe in the Bofors case. The country cannot expect any better from a leader who kept quiet while his brother-in-law looted land, Prasad said, in a reference to cases involving Robert Vadra. Prasad reiterated the government's claim the basic price of Rafale negotiated by it was nine per cent cheaper than what the UPA had agreed to while its fully weaponised version was 20 per cent cheaper. In 2012, when Dassault signed the agreement with Reliance, the company was led by Mukesh Ambani. Anil Ambani is his younger brother. Whatever happened between the two brothers is their matter, Prasad said.

BJP rejects Hollande's claim, says it doesn't know what was his compulsion

Hours after Rahul Gandhi mounted a fresh attack on Narendra Modi and called the prime minister a 'thief for the alleged corruption in the Rafale deal, BJP hit back at the Congress president and described his comments as ''deplorable''.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Never before in the history of independent India, has a party president used such words for a prime minister, &nbsp;Prasad said and added that Congress president was playing into the hands of Pakistan and China.

''It's my charge with the full sense of responsibility, Rahul is playing into the hands of enemies of India like Pakistan by insisting upon disclosure of all weapon system,'' Prasad said.

''We can't expect anything else from Rahul Gandhi. He has no quality or ability. He's there due to his family, said &nbsp;Union Law Minister.&nbsp;

Describing Congress president's statement ''irresponsible'' and ''baseless'', Prasad said Rahul Gandhi concocts lies and repeats it.&nbsp;

Earlier Ministry of Defence once again reiterated that the Government of India had no role in the selection of Indian Offset partner which is a commercial decision of the Original Equipment Manufacturer.&nbsp;

Unnecessary controversies are being created following reports regarding a statement purportedly made by former French President, Francois Hollande, concerning the selection of Reliance Defence as the Offset partner by Dassault, manufacturers of Rafale aircraft, Ministry of Defence said in a statement.&nbsp;

 
&nbsp;

Hours after Rahul Gandhi mounted a fresh attack on Narendra Modi and called the prime minister a 'thief for the alleged corruption in the Rafale deal, BJP hit back at the Congress president and described his comments as ''deplorable''.

Hours after Rahul Gandhi mounted a fresh attack on Narendra Modi and called the prime minister a 'thief for the alleged corruption in the Rafale deal, BJP hit back at the Congress president and described his comments as ''deplorable''. Never before in the history of independent India, has a party president used such words for a prime minister, Prasad said and added that Congress president was playing into the hands of Pakistan and China. ''It's my charge with the full sense of responsibility, Rahul is playing into the hands of enemies of India like Pakistan by insisting upon disclosure of all weapon system,'' Prasad said. ''We can't expect anything else from Rahul Gandhi. He has no quality or ability. He's there due to his family, said Union Law Minister. Describing Congress president's statement ''irresponsible'' and ''baseless'', Prasad said Rahul Gandhi concocts lies and repeats it. Earlier Ministry of Defence once again reiterated that the Government of India had no role in the selection of Indian Offset partner which is a commercial decision of the Original Equipment Manufacturer. Unnecessary controversies are being created following reports regarding a statement purportedly made by former French President, Francois Hollande, concerning the selection of Reliance Defence as the Offset partner by Dassault, manufacturers of Rafale aircraft, Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

Rahul Gandhi is playing into the hands of Pakistan: Ravi Shankar Prasad

Congress president Rahul Gandhi Saturday alleged that institutions such as the Supreme Court and the Election Commission were being "systematically captured" by the RSS and said India cannot be run on one single idea.

There is a feeling among the people that one ideology is being imposed upon them, Gandhi said at an interaction with academicians here.

"(RSS chief) Mohan Bhagwat in his earlier speeches has said: 'We are going to organise the nation'. Who is he to organise the nation? The nation will organise itself. In next couple of months, their fantasy will be smashed," he asserted.

During the interaction with eminent academicians from across the country at the Siri Fort, Gandhi said there are two visions of India and the Congress' vision is that India constitutes of people who live in it.

The only way to understand India is talk to its people, he said.

Gandhi alleged that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's vision of India is that of a "golden bird" which it views as a product.

The product has to be monetised and utilised, and they will decide who will do this, the Congress chief said.

"What we are fighting is the attempted capture of this 'golden bird' by the RSS. They have understood very clearly that electoral battle for them, they can win it once, but they can't repeatedly win it.

"They have understood that. So, now what they are doing is that they are saying elections will come and elections will go, let us capture all of India's institutions and let us capture the golden bird with a bypass surgery," he said.

The educational institutions, the Supreme Court and the Election Commission of India, all these are "systematically being captured", Gandhi alleged.

Citing an example, he alleged, "When Mr (Narendra) Modi came to power, a person from Gujarat was chosen to head the SPG. In a short time, he left the position. He told me that he refused a list of SPG officers handpicked by the RSS, and that is why he was sent home."

Gandhi claimed that the reason behind this attack on institutions was that there were monetary benefits for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

"For me, it is impossible to lead India, without having a conversation with India. The idea is, I should be a reflection of what is in your heart," he said.

Gandhi told the professors that he knows that they were feeling under pressure and feeling that an ideology was being imposed on them.

"You feel that one syllabus has now suddenly become acceptable to every single institution in India and I want you to understand and realise that you are not alone when you are fighting this battle, this sense, this feeling that you are getting is not only in your heart, it is in the heart of every single Indian person, it is in the heart of the farmers, it is in the heart of the labourers, it is in the heart of small and medium business," Gandhi said.

A country of over a billion people cannot possibly be run on one single idea and the fact that people are allowed to express is the strength of the country, Gandhi said.

"Look at 3,000 years of India's history, we are going to win, we are not going to lose," Gandhi asserted.

Attacking the government over its education policy, Gandhi said government institutions should be given precedence over private institutions and the government should put money to strengthen them.

"There has to be space for private institutions, but the guiding light, the foundation, the superstructure has to be the public education system," he said.

"The quality private institutions must look towards government institutions and say look that is an IIT that is something we aspire to, it shouldn't be the other way round," he said, adding that the government has to put money into the system.

He also recalled that former US president Barack Obama had said the real competition for America was from the engineers, doctors and lawyers coming out of India. This was praise for the teachers of India, Gandhi said.

The Congress chief asserted that when it comes to the Indian education system, two things are non-negotiable -- teachers should be able to express and they should be given a vision for their own future.

Gandhi said the Congress was commencing its work in drafting a manifesto and invited teachers to form a delegation and come forward with their demands.&nbsp;

Congress president Rahul Gandhi Saturday alleged that institutions such as the Supreme Court and the Election Commission were being "systematically captured" by the RSS and said India cannot be run on one single idea.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi Saturday alleged that institutions such as the Supreme Court and the Election Commission were being "systematically captured" by the RSS and said India cannot be run on one single idea. There is a feeling among the people that one ideology is being imposed upon them, Gandhi said at an interaction with academicians here. "(RSS chief) Mohan Bhagwat in his earlier speeches has said: 'We are going to organise the nation'. Who is he to organise the nation? The nation will organise itself. In next couple of months, their fantasy will be smashed," he asserted. During the interaction with eminent academicians from across the country at the Siri Fort, Gandhi said there are two visions of India and the Congress' vision is that India constitutes of people who live in it. The only way to understand India is talk to its people, he said. Gandhi alleged that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's vision of India is that of a "golden bird" which it views as a product. The product has to be monetised and utilised, and they will decide who will do this, the Congress chief said. "What we are fighting is the attempted capture of this 'golden bird' by the RSS. They have understood very clearly that electoral battle for them, they can win it once, but they can't repeatedly win it. "They have understood that. So, now what they are doing is that they are saying elections will come and elections will go, let us capture all of India's institutions and let us capture the golden bird with a bypass surgery," he said. The educational institutions, the Supreme Court and the Election Commission of India, all these are "systematically being captured", Gandhi alleged. Citing an example, he alleged, "When Mr (Narendra) Modi came to power, a person from Gujarat was chosen to head the SPG. In a short time, he left the position. He told me that he refused a list of SPG officers handpicked by the RSS, and that is why he was sent home." Gandhi claimed that the reason behind this attack on institutions was that there were monetary benefits for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). "For me, it is impossible to lead India, without having a conversation with India. The idea is, I should be a reflection of what is in your heart," he said. Gandhi told the professors that he knows that they were feeling under pressure and feeling that an ideology was being imposed on them. "You feel that one syllabus has now suddenly become acceptable to every single institution in India and I want you to understand and realise that you are not alone when you are fighting this battle, this sense, this feeling that you are getting is not only in your heart, it is in the heart of every single Indian person, it is in the heart of the farmers, it is in the heart of the labourers, it is in the heart of small and medium business," Gandhi said. A country of over a billion people cannot possibly be run on one single idea and the fact that people are allowed to express is the strength of the country, Gandhi said. "Look at 3,000 years of India's history, we are going to win, we are not going to lose," Gandhi asserted. Attacking the government over its education policy, Gandhi said government institutions should be given precedence over private institutions and the government should put money to strengthen them. "There has to be space for private institutions, but the guiding light, the foundation, the superstructure has to be the public education system," he said. "The quality private institutions must look towards government institutions and say look that is an IIT that is something we aspire to, it shouldn't be the other way round," he said, adding that the government has to put money into the system. He also recalled that former US president Barack Obama had said the real competition for America was from the engineers, doctors and lawyers coming out of India. This was praise for the teachers of India, Gandhi said. The Congress chief asserted that when it comes to the Indian education system, two things are non-negotiable -- teachers should be able to express and they should be given a vision for their own future. Gandhi said the Congress was commencing its work in drafting a manifesto and invited teachers to form a delegation and come forward with their demands.

Institutions like SC, EC being 'systematically captured' by RSS: Rahul Gandhi

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Friday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi following former French President Francois Hollande's reported remarks on the Rafale deal, saying he has "betrayed" India.

His attack on Modi came after a French media report quoted Hollande as purportedly saying that the Indian government proposed Reliance Defence as the partner for Dassault Aviation in the Rs 58,000 crore Rafale jet fighter deal.

"The PM personally negotiated &amp; changed the #Rafale deal behind closed doors. Thanks to Francois Hollande, we now know he personally delivered a deal worth billions of dollars to a bankrupt Anil Ambani," Gandhi tweeted.&nbsp;

"The PM has betrayed India. He has dishonoured the blood of our soldiers," he said.

Modi had announced the procurement of a batch of 36 Rafale jets after holding talks with the then French President Hollande on April 10, 2015 in Paris.

The opposition has been accusing the government of choosing Reliance Defence over state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) to benefit the private firm though it did not have any experience in the aerospace sector.&nbsp;

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Friday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi following former French President Francois Hollande's reported remarks on the Rafale deal, saying he has "betrayed" India.

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Friday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi following former French President Francois Hollande's reported remarks on the Rafale deal, saying he has "betrayed" India. His attack on Modi came after a French media report quoted Hollande as purportedly saying that the Indian government proposed Reliance Defence as the partner for Dassault Aviation in the Rs 58,000 crore Rafale jet fighter deal. "The PM personally negotiated & changed the #Rafale deal behind closed doors. Thanks to Francois Hollande, we now know he personally delivered a deal worth billions of dollars to a bankrupt Anil Ambani," Gandhi tweeted. "The PM has betrayed India. He has dishonoured the blood of our soldiers," he said. Modi had announced the procurement of a batch of 36 Rafale jets after holding talks with the then French President Hollande on April 10, 2015 in Paris. The opposition has been accusing the government of choosing Reliance Defence over state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) to benefit the private firm though it did not have any experience in the aerospace sector.

PM has betrayed India: Gandhi on Hollande's reported remarks on Rafale deal

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Thursday called Congress president Rahul Gandhi a "Clown Prince" and the opposition party hit back to dub the senior BJP leader as a "court jester" in bitter personal attacks over Rafale deal, NPAs and waiving loans of industrialists.

As the rival parties accused each other of resorting to falsehood and lies, the Congress also demanded Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's resignation for allegedly "misleading" the people on the Rafale deal. Gandhi accusing the minister of "lying" on HAL's capability to build the jet fighters, saying her position is untenable. 
In a hard hitting Facebook blog titled "Falsehood of a 'Clown Prince'" to reply to&nbsp; 
Gandhi's charges made during his political rallies, Jaitley accused him of "lying" about Modi government waiving Rs 2.5 lakh crore of loans of 15 industrialists. He asserted not a single rupee of any debtor has been waived by the BJP government.

Loans to the country's 12 defaulters were given out prior to 2014 and it was only the present government which was making recoveries, he said, adding defaulters are losing their companies and assets as they are being auctioned to recover dues.

"You lied on the Rafale deal, you lied on the Non Performing Assets(NPAs). Your temperament to concoct facts raises a legitimate question ? do people whose natural preference is falsehood deserve to be a part of the public discourse," he said.

"The world's largest democracy must seriously introspect whether public discourse should be allowed to be polluted by the falsehood of a 'Clown Prince'." 
Jaitley alleged the previous Congress-led UPA government "concealed" the loans despite default by rolling them over and NPAs or bad loans were hidden under the carpet.

"The truth, Mr Rahul Gandhi, is that your Government allowed the banks to be looted. The loans were inadequately securitized. Your Government was in complicity," he wrote.

Jaitley accused Gandhi of "concocting a lie" and repeating it as many times and went on to cite previous arguments he had made to counter the charges on Rafale deal.

"In mature democracies, those who rely on falsehood are considered unfit for public life. Many have been banished from political activity because they were caught lying.&nbsp; 
But this rule obviously can't apply to a dynastic organisation like Congress party," he said.

"If the 'Rafale concoctions' were the first big lie, the second one stated repeatedly is that Mr Modi waived off Rs 2.50 lakh crores of 15 industrialists. Every word of that sentence repeatedly uttered by Rahul Gandhi is false."

The Congress on its part accused Jaitley of "lying" on the issue of NPAs and dubbed him as a "court jester" writing "wasteful" blogs,

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala accused Jaitley of making desperate attempts at spreading "fake agenda to stay relevant as a court jester" and asked him why he is hiding behind abuse to the opposition and demanded answers from him on the issue of NPAs as well as the Rafale jet fighter deal with France.

He said Jaitley and the Modi government have been "trapped" on the Rafale issue and that is why they are resorting to abuse against the opposition instead of replying to questions asked.

"Arun Jaitley is desperate in his attempt to stay relevant as a ?Court Jester' to ?Modi Sultanate'. 'Abuse, diversion' and deception' are the desperate tools of a 'Lying -Jait-LIE'.

"Instead of hiding behind the cloak of expletives for the opposition, let FM coherently answer politically relevant issues," Surjewala told reporters.

Attacking the government on the issue of NPAs, the Congress leader alleged collusion between NPA's, bank looters and the Modi government.

"Political amnesia and chest thumping cannot obliterate your dismal record of dismantling India's economic progress or as also the surging NPA's resulting out of ?bankruptcy of economic vision' of Modi Government," he alleged.

Gandhi took to Twitter to attack Sitharaman, alleging that her position as the defence minister has become untenable as a former chief of the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has "nailed her lie".

"The RM (Rafale Minister) tasked with defending corruption has been caught lying again. The former HAL Chief, T S Raju, has nailed her lie, that HAL didn't have the capability to build the RAFALE. Her position is untenable &amp; she must resign," he tweeted and tagged a media report on the former HAL chief's assertion.

Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari cited the remarks of former HAL chief T Suvarna Raju to attack Sitharaman over the issue of HAL's capability to build the Rafale aircraft.

Tewari hit out at Sitharaman for alleging that the UPA did not extend support to HAL when the state-run company was engaged in talks with French firm Dassault Aviation for the manufacturer of Rafale jets in India under the offset agreement.

He said the former HAL chief had made certain "extremely pertinent points" that "absolutely demolish" the entire case that the NDA government has been trying to build on the Rafale issue.

Tewari said Raju had made it clear in his statement that HAL and Dassault had signed the mutual workshare contract and given it to the government.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Thursday called Congress president Rahul Gandhi a "Clown Prince" and the opposition party hit back to dub the senior BJP leader as a "court jester" in bitter personal attacks over Rafale deal, NPAs and waiving loans of industrialists.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Thursday called Congress president Rahul Gandhi a "Clown Prince" and the opposition party hit back to dub the senior BJP leader as a "court jester" in bitter personal attacks over Rafale deal, NPAs and waiving loans of industrialists. As the rival parties accused each other of resorting to falsehood and lies, the Congress also demanded Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's resignation for allegedly "misleading" the people on the Rafale deal. Gandhi accusing the minister of "lying" on HAL's capability to build the jet fighters, saying her position is untenable. In a hard hitting Facebook blog titled "Falsehood of a 'Clown Prince'" to reply to Gandhi's charges made during his political rallies, Jaitley accused him of "lying" about Modi government waiving Rs 2.5 lakh crore of loans of 15 industrialists. He asserted not a single rupee of any debtor has been waived by the BJP government. Loans to the country's 12 defaulters were given out prior to 2014 and it was only the present government which was making recoveries, he said, adding defaulters are losing their companies and assets as they are being auctioned to recover dues. "You lied on the Rafale deal, you lied on the Non Performing Assets(NPAs). Your temperament to concoct facts raises a legitimate question ? do people whose natural preference is falsehood deserve to be a part of the public discourse," he said. "The world's largest democracy must seriously introspect whether public discourse should be allowed to be polluted by the falsehood of a 'Clown Prince'." Jaitley alleged the previous Congress-led UPA government "concealed" the loans despite default by rolling them over and NPAs or bad loans were hidden under the carpet. "The truth, Mr Rahul Gandhi, is that your Government allowed the banks to be looted. The loans were inadequately securitized. Your Government was in complicity," he wrote. Jaitley accused Gandhi of "concocting a lie" and repeating it as many times and went on to cite previous arguments he had made to counter the charges on Rafale deal. "In mature democracies, those who rely on falsehood are considered unfit for public life. Many have been banished from political activity because they were caught lying. But this rule obviously can't apply to a dynastic organisation like Congress party," he said. "If the 'Rafale concoctions' were the first big lie, the second one stated repeatedly is that Mr Modi waived off Rs 2.50 lakh crores of 15 industrialists. Every word of that sentence repeatedly uttered by Rahul Gandhi is false." The Congress on its part accused Jaitley of "lying" on the issue of NPAs and dubbed him as a "court jester" writing "wasteful" blogs, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala accused Jaitley of making desperate attempts at spreading "fake agenda to stay relevant as a court jester" and asked him why he is hiding behind abuse to the opposition and demanded answers from him on the issue of NPAs as well as the Rafale jet fighter deal with France. He said Jaitley and the Modi government have been "trapped" on the Rafale issue and that is why they are resorting to abuse against the opposition instead of replying to questions asked. "Arun Jaitley is desperate in his attempt to stay relevant as a ?Court Jester' to ?Modi Sultanate'. 'Abuse, diversion' and deception' are the desperate tools of a 'Lying -Jait-LIE'. "Instead of hiding behind the cloak of expletives for the opposition, let FM coherently answer politically relevant issues," Surjewala told reporters. Attacking the government on the issue of NPAs, the Congress leader alleged collusion between NPA's, bank looters and the Modi government. "Political amnesia and chest thumping cannot obliterate your dismal record of dismantling India's economic progress or as also the surging NPA's resulting out of ?bankruptcy of economic vision' of Modi Government," he alleged. Gandhi took to Twitter to attack Sitharaman, alleging that her position as the defence minister has become untenable as a former chief of the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has "nailed her lie". "The RM (Rafale Minister) tasked with defending corruption has been caught lying again. The former HAL Chief, T S Raju, has nailed her lie, that HAL didn't have the capability to build the RAFALE. Her position is untenable & she must resign," he tweeted and tagged a media report on the former HAL chief's assertion. Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari cited the remarks of former HAL chief T Suvarna Raju to attack Sitharaman over the issue of HAL's capability to build the Rafale aircraft. Tewari hit out at Sitharaman for alleging that the UPA did not extend support to HAL when the state-run company was engaged in talks with French firm Dassault Aviation for the manufacturer of Rafale jets in India under the offset agreement. He said the former HAL chief had made certain "extremely pertinent points" that "absolutely demolish" the entire case that the NDA government has been trying to build on the Rafale issue. Tewari said Raju had made it clear in his statement that HAL and Dassault had signed the mutual workshare contract and given it to the government.

Jaitley calls Rahul 'Clown Prince', Congress hits back with 'court jester'

In a no-holds-barred attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said Thursday people are now heard saying the country's chowkidar is a "thief".

Gandhi's remark at a public meeting provoked a strong reaction from the BJP with Union minister Smriti Irani calling him the "clown prince" who had no respect for the prime minister's post.

Rahul Gandhi was referring to the prime minister's silence on the Rafale fighter aircraft deal with France and the Modi government's failure to bring fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya to book.

He said he had asked questions on this in Parliament but got no reply, and took a jibe at Modi's past assertions on tackling corruption.

Modi had said he did not want to become the country's prime minister, but its "chowkidar" (watchman), Gandhi recalled.

He added now it is heard on the streets that the country's chowkidar' is a thief.

"Gali gali mein shor hai, Hindustan ka chowkidar chor hai," he said in Hindi at a rally in tribal-dominated Sagwara.

He said this is what the people in Rajasthan and elsewhere in the country felt.

Assembly elections will be held in the state later this year, shortly ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2019.

Gandhi said people are disappointed with the Bharatiya Janata Party governments at the Centre and in Rajasthan and the Congress is now set to win.

?Neither the prime minister and the chief minister, nor their money can stop the change of government in Rajasthan,? he said.

Ahead of the rally, the Congress chief offered prayers at the nearby Gayatri Shaktipeeth temple.

Referring to a recent row, Gandhi claimed Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had ?admitted? that Vijay Mallya met him before leaving the country.

?The finance minister allowed Vijay Mallya who defrauded banks to tune of Rs 9,000 crore to leave the country but the prime minister did not break his silence,? he said. 
Mentioning Modi's monthly radio talk, he said the prime minister speaks his ?mann ki baat' in all his speeches but the Congress wants to hear what the people say.

The Congress chief said the promise to provide employment to two crore youths every year and the Make In India campaign had failed as phones, shoes and clothes carried the Made In China tag.

Gandhi claimed only 450 youths get employment in the country each day while China created jobs for 50,000 people every 24 hours.

He alleged an amount of Rs 2,30,000 crore has been ?written off? as bad loan to 15 or 20 big industrialists, but the government has not helped debt-ridden farmers. 
?We will make the people of the state secure and focus on providing employment.&nbsp; 
We want mobile phones with Made in Rajasthan tag,? he said.

Gandhi tried to allay speculation over rifts in the state unit of the party by referring to a motorcycle ride that Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot and former chief minister Ashok Gehlot took together.

The Congress is yet to announce its CM candidate in Rajasthan, unlike the BJP which has said Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje will be nominated again. 
The Congress president assured that party workers will decide on the candidates in the coming election.

?I can guarantee you that this time not a single parachute candidate will be able to get the ticket. If any such candidate comes, I will cut the rope,? he said.

He also asked senior Congress leader Avinash Pandey to find women faces to represent the party.

Gandhi suggested that the BJP was using money from the state exchequer on its campaign meetings.

?You should know that the posters that you see of the prime minister and the chief minister were made with your money,? he said.

He said the demonitisation of high-currency bank notes and the Goods and Services Tax (GST), which he called the ?Gabbar Singh Tax', broke the back of common people and the small businessman.

?We had proposed a one country, one tax system but the prime minister levied a multiple-layer tax system. The Congress government will change it to a single-layer tax system, if voted to power,? he said.

Gandhi accused the Modi government of shelving the Rs 2,000 crore Ratlam-Banswara-Dungarpur rail line plan announced by the previous UPA government, while announcing a bullet train project worth Rs 1 lakh crore. 
&nbsp;

In a no-holds-barred attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said Thursday people are now heard saying the country's chowkidar is a "thief".

In a no-holds-barred attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said Thursday people are now heard saying the country's chowkidar is a "thief". Gandhi's remark at a public meeting provoked a strong reaction from the BJP with Union minister Smriti Irani calling him the "clown prince" who had no respect for the prime minister's post. Rahul Gandhi was referring to the prime minister's silence on the Rafale fighter aircraft deal with France and the Modi government's failure to bring fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya to book. He said he had asked questions on this in Parliament but got no reply, and took a jibe at Modi's past assertions on tackling corruption. Modi had said he did not want to become the country's prime minister, but its "chowkidar" (watchman), Gandhi recalled. He added now it is heard on the streets that the country's chowkidar' is a thief. "Gali gali mein shor hai, Hindustan ka chowkidar chor hai," he said in Hindi at a rally in tribal-dominated Sagwara. He said this is what the people in Rajasthan and elsewhere in the country felt. Assembly elections will be held in the state later this year, shortly ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. Gandhi said people are disappointed with the Bharatiya Janata Party governments at the Centre and in Rajasthan and the Congress is now set to win. ?Neither the prime minister and the chief minister, nor their money can stop the change of government in Rajasthan,? he said. Ahead of the rally, the Congress chief offered prayers at the nearby Gayatri Shaktipeeth temple. Referring to a recent row, Gandhi claimed Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had ?admitted? that Vijay Mallya met him before leaving the country. ?The finance minister allowed Vijay Mallya who defrauded banks to tune of Rs 9,000 crore to leave the country but the prime minister did not break his silence,? he said. Mentioning Modi's monthly radio talk, he said the prime minister speaks his ?mann ki baat' in all his speeches but the Congress wants to hear what the people say. The Congress chief said the promise to provide employment to two crore youths every year and the Make In India campaign had failed as phones, shoes and clothes carried the Made In China tag. Gandhi claimed only 450 youths get employment in the country each day while China created jobs for 50,000 people every 24 hours. He alleged an amount of Rs 2,30,000 crore has been ?written off? as bad loan to 15 or 20 big industrialists, but the government has not helped debt-ridden farmers. ?We will make the people of the state secure and focus on providing employment. We want mobile phones with Made in Rajasthan tag,? he said. Gandhi tried to allay speculation over rifts in the state unit of the party by referring to a motorcycle ride that Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot and former chief minister Ashok Gehlot took together. The Congress is yet to announce its CM candidate in Rajasthan, unlike the BJP which has said Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje will be nominated again. The Congress president assured that party workers will decide on the candidates in the coming election. ?I can guarantee you that this time not a single parachute candidate will be able to get the ticket. If any such candidate comes, I will cut the rope,? he said. He also asked senior Congress leader Avinash Pandey to find women faces to represent the party. Gandhi suggested that the BJP was using money from the state exchequer on its campaign meetings. ?You should know that the posters that you see of the prime minister and the chief minister were made with your money,? he said. He said the demonitisation of high-currency bank notes and the Goods and Services Tax (GST), which he called the ?Gabbar Singh Tax', broke the back of common people and the small businessman. ?We had proposed a one country, one tax system but the prime minister levied a multiple-layer tax system. The Congress government will change it to a single-layer tax system, if voted to power,? he said. Gandhi accused the Modi government of shelving the Rs 2,000 crore Ratlam-Banswara-Dungarpur rail line plan announced by the previous UPA government, while announcing a bullet train project worth Rs 1 lakh crore.

Gali gali mein shor hai, Hindustan ka chowkidar chor hai: Rahul Gandhi

Congress demanded a&nbsp;probe into the "suspicious and faulty performance" of the aircraft that carried Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday. The chopper&nbsp;developed a technical snag before landing at the Hubballi airport in north Karnataka.&nbsp;

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation said in New Delhi that it would examine the issue, while the police said they have registered a complaint.

The plane suddenly tilted heavily on the left side and the altitude dipped steeply with violent shuddering of the aircraft body at 10.45 am, Gandhi's close aide Kaushal Vidyarthi wrote in a letter to state DGP Neelmani N Raju.

The letter said the weather was normal and not windy according to the passengers.

"It was apparent from the suspicious and faulty performance of the aircraft that the incidents of shuddering and altitude dipping were not natural or weather-related, but were due to some technical snag...," it said.

"Serious questions related to intentional tampering with the aircraft cannot also be brushed aside and are requested to be addressed and investigated," the letter read.

Gandhi is on a two-day visit to poll-bound Karnataka from Thursday to campaign for the party candidates in the districts of Uttara Kannada, Dahskina Kannada, Kodagu and Mysuru.

"Yes, we have received a complaint about some unexplained turbulence of the aircraft," Renuka Sukumar, DCP (Law and Order), Hubbali-Dharwad Police told PTI.

She said, "We have registered a complaint under Section 287 (negligent conduct with respect to machinery) and 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the IPC."

The complaint that names the two pilots was filed by KPCC General Secretary Shakir Sanadi, she said.

The letter said multiple "unexplained" technical snags coupled with the failure of the auto pilot system raised serious issues of aviation safety and possible and intentional tampering with aircraft which endangered the life of its occupants.

"A thorough examination of the structural and mechanical elements of the aircraft, the surrounding circumstances of the flight and the persons attached with maintenance of the aircraft is required in order to assess the incident," it said.

The letter said a "clankish noise" was clearly audible from one side of the plane throughout the shuddering of the aircraft body.

"It was learnt that the autopilot of the aircraft was not functioning," it said.

The plane landed at the Hubbali airport around 11.25 am in the third attempt., according to the letter.

"The crew was also apparently petrified and admitted that the flight was particularly frightening and uncommon," it said.

Congress's communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala said, "Rahul Gandhi landed safely... A serious accident was averted today."

He said a complaint has been sumbitted to the DGP Karnataka asking him to look into all aspects of the "serious, horrific incident", including foul play if any.

He said it was unprecedented that a flight carrying an SPG protectee would develop a snag.

Gandhi maintained his composure and tried to calm the co-passengers down, he said.

Another complaint has been filed with the DGCA, demanding a thorough inquiry into the incident, Surjewala added.

A senior DGCA official said, "The operator has reported the incident to us (DGCA). According to the operator's report, it was a snag of auto pilot mode and the pilot shifted to the manual (mode) and (the aircraft) landed safely.

"Shutdown of auto pilot (mode) incidents are not uncommon. For any VIP flight, the DGCA examines it in detail. We shall do that here also," the official told PTI.&nbsp;

Citing the report from the Air Traffic Controller, a senior official at the Hubbali airport said the plane had landed safely.

The plane suddenly tilted heavily on the left side and the altitude dipped steeply with violent shuddering of the aircraft body at 10.45 am, Gandhi's close aide Kaushal Vidyarthi wrote in a letter to state DGP Neelmani N Raju

Congress demanded a probe into the "suspicious and faulty performance" of the aircraft that carried Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday. The chopper developed a technical snag before landing at the Hubballi airport in north Karnataka. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation said in New Delhi that it would examine the issue, while the police said they have registered a complaint. The plane suddenly tilted heavily on the left side and the altitude dipped steeply with violent shuddering of the aircraft body at 10.45 am, Gandhi's close aide Kaushal Vidyarthi wrote in a letter to state DGP Neelmani N Raju. The letter said the weather was normal and not windy according to the passengers. "It was apparent from the suspicious and faulty performance of the aircraft that the incidents of shuddering and altitude dipping were not natural or weather-related, but were due to some technical snag...," it said. "Serious questions related to intentional tampering with the aircraft cannot also be brushed aside and are requested to be addressed and investigated," the letter read. Gandhi is on a two-day visit to poll-bound Karnataka from Thursday to campaign for the party candidates in the districts of Uttara Kannada, Dahskina Kannada, Kodagu and Mysuru. "Yes, we have received a complaint about some unexplained turbulence of the aircraft," Renuka Sukumar, DCP (Law and Order), Hubbali-Dharwad Police told PTI. She said, "We have registered a complaint under Section 287 (negligent conduct with respect to machinery) and 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the IPC." The complaint that names the two pilots was filed by KPCC General Secretary Shakir Sanadi, she said. The letter said multiple "unexplained" technical snags coupled with the failure of the auto pilot system raised serious issues of aviation safety and possible and intentional tampering with aircraft which endangered the life of its occupants. "A thorough examination of the structural and mechanical elements of the aircraft, the surrounding circumstances of the flight and the persons attached with maintenance of the aircraft is required in order to assess the incident," it said. The letter said a "clankish noise" was clearly audible from one side of the plane throughout the shuddering of the aircraft body. "It was learnt that the autopilot of the aircraft was not functioning," it said. The plane landed at the Hubbali airport around 11.25 am in the third attempt., according to the letter. "The crew was also apparently petrified and admitted that the flight was particularly frightening and uncommon," it said. Congress's communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala said, "Rahul Gandhi landed safely... A serious accident was averted today." He said a complaint has been sumbitted to the DGP Karnataka asking him to look into all aspects of the "serious, horrific incident", including foul play if any. He said it was unprecedented that a flight carrying an SPG protectee would develop a snag. Gandhi maintained his composure and tried to calm the co-passengers down, he said. Another complaint has been filed with the DGCA, demanding a thorough inquiry into the incident, Surjewala added. A senior DGCA official said, "The operator has reported the incident to us (DGCA). According to the operator's report, it was a snag of auto pilot mode and the pilot shifted to the manual (mode) and (the aircraft) landed safely. "Shutdown of auto pilot (mode) incidents are not uncommon. For any VIP flight, the DGCA examines it in detail. We shall do that here also," the official told PTI. Citing the report from the Air Traffic Controller, a senior official at the Hubbali airport said the plane had landed safely.

Congress demands probe after chopper carrying Rahul Gandhi develops snag

While addressing a press conference in Delhi after his first Congress Working Committee meeting, Congress president Rahul Gandhi&nbsp;again hit out at the BJP and said its entire structure was based on lies.

The Congress president said, &quot;The whole architecture of BJP is about lies, the whole structure is about lies.&quot;&nbsp;

Referring to the 2G spectrum acquittal, he said the truth was before the people.

Claiming Gujarat Model to be a lie, he said &quot; If you see the Modi model in Gujarat it was a clear lie, when we went to Gujarat the people said there is no model, they said what is going on is stealing of people&#39;s resources.&nbsp;

You talk of 2G....whether you look at the Modi model or the promise of 15 lakhs in every bank account, Demonetisation, Gabbar Singh Tax, everything is a lie.&quot;

The newly-appointed Congress president headed&nbsp;his first Congress Working Committee meeting today.

The meeting was organised at the All India Congress Committee headquarters in Delhi.&nbsp;

Former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi and senior Congress leader Motilal Vohra were also in attendance.&nbsp;

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Delhi: Former Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh reaches AICC for Congress Working Committee meeting, <a href="https://t.co/ZyolRgSbio">pic.twitter.com/ZyolRgSbio</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/944161455091286017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Rahul Gandhi took over as Congress President on December 16.&nbsp;

The Gandhi scion took the position as the party&#39;s chief from his mother Sonia Gandhi who served as party president for 19 years.&nbsp;

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If you see the Modi model in Gujarat it was a clear lie, when we went to Gujarat the people said there is no model, they said what is going on is stealing of people&#39;s resources: Rahul Gandhi <a href="https://t.co/M0PioaxkhF">pic.twitter.com/M0PioaxkhF</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/944196899434774530?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

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You talk of 2G... whether you look at the Modi model or the promise of 15 lakhs in every bank account... <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DeMonetisation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DeMonetisation</a>, &#39;Gabbar Singh Tax&#39;.. everything is a lie: Rahul Gandhi <a href="https://t.co/teMuZ0tPvB">pic.twitter.com/teMuZ0tPvB</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/944197896219459584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Referring to the 2G spectrum acquittal, Rahul Gandhi said the truth was before the people

While addressing a press conference in Delhi after his first Congress Working Committee meeting, Congress president Rahul Gandhi again hit out at the BJP and said its entire structure was based on lies. The Congress president said, "The whole architecture of BJP is about lies, the whole structure is about lies." Referring to the 2G spectrum acquittal, he said the truth was before the people. Claiming Gujarat Model to be a lie, he said " If you see the Modi model in Gujarat it was a clear lie, when we went to Gujarat the people said there is no model, they said what is going on is stealing of people's resources. You talk of 2G....whether you look at the Modi model or the promise of 15 lakhs in every bank account, Demonetisation, Gabbar Singh Tax, everything is a lie." The newly-appointed Congress president headed his first Congress Working Committee meeting today. The meeting was organised at the All India Congress Committee headquarters in Delhi. Former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi and senior Congress leader Motilal Vohra were also in attendance. Delhi: Former Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh reaches AICC for Congress Working Committee meeting, pic.twitter.com/ZyolRgSbio — ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2017 × Delhi: Rahul Gandhi arrives for his first CWC meeting as Congress President, Sonia Gandhi and Motilal Vora also reach AICC for Congress Working Committee Meet pic.twitter.com/r6uKazDYen — ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2017 × Delhi: Inside visuals of Congress Working Committee meeting underway at AICC, it is Rahul Gandhi's first CWC meeting as party President, pic.twitter.com/BdVipcyLDs — ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2017 × Rahul Gandhi took over as Congress President on December 16. The Gandhi scion took the position as the party's chief from his mother Sonia Gandhi who served as party president for 19 years. If you see the Modi model in Gujarat it was a clear lie, when we went to Gujarat the people said there is no model, they said what is going on is stealing of people's resources: Rahul Gandhi pic.twitter.com/M0PioaxkhF — ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2017 × You talk of 2G... whether you look at the Modi model or the promise of 15 lakhs in every bank account... #DeMonetisation, 'Gabbar Singh Tax'.. everything is a lie: Rahul Gandhi pic.twitter.com/teMuZ0tPvB — ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2017 ×

Everything about BJP is a lie: Rahul Gandhi in first meet as CWC president