LUCKNOW: Calling the reports of theft of Rafale deal documents extremely unfortunate, shameful, BSP chief Mayawati took a jibe at PM Narendra Modi wondering if the country was really in safe hands.
On the other hand SP chief Akhilesh Yadav asked the ruling party if it was going with a "jhoot and boot" campaign into the upcoming polls. While the SP chief referred to Rafale deal as ‘Jhoot’ (lie), he intended to embarrass BJP by mentioning ‘boot’ in context with the brawl between its two lawmakers who attacked each other during a meeting, with one of them using his shoe in Sant Kabirnagar on Wednesday.
WATCH: BJP MP THRASHES MLA WITH SHOE
In a release issued here on Thursday, the BSP chief sought the PM to extend an apology to the nation accepting the fact that he had failed in safeguarding country’s defence interests.
“The Modi govt made a sensational disclosure in the Hon'ble Supreme Court that secret documents pertaining to Rafale fighter deal were stolen from the Defence Ministry. Very strange & irresponsible chowkidari. Is national security & interest in the safe hands? Think long & loud,” Mayawati tweeted.
She said that before making such a disclosure, the PM should accept he had failed in ensuring national security. “Such a faux pass can happen only under this Modi government. Had the Supreme Court not been hearing the case, it would have never disclosed that such a sensation incident had happen just under the nose of PM,” she said.
During the hearing in review petitions over Rafale fighter jets deal in Supreme Court on Wednesday, Attorney General KK Venugopal had claimed that some documents related to the deal were stolen from the defence ministry.
‘”This has come as a shame on the Modi government which was worrying the 130 bn people of the country that too at a time when Lok Sabha elections are just round the corner,” asserted the BSP chief.
She accused the Centre of diverting people’s attention from basic issues hiding behind Pulwama, airstrikes and Rafale. “It is now established that Rafale is not only limited to corruption but it has its connotation in terms of national security which is a major cause of concern,” she observed.
Meanwhile, reacting to the disclosure, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also took a swipe at Modi government by tweeting:
“First there were parallel negotiations. Then the files were stolen. Meanwhile in UP, MP-MLA used shoes at a meeting to discuss development. Now BJP workers are asking their leaders what to campaign on? The jhoot and the boot or the youth and the booth?” Another SP leader and party spokesman Dr Abdul Hafeez Gandhi attributed government’s ‘theft’ claims in SC to its desperation to hide facts about the fighter aircraft deal.
“Government from day one is hiding information over Rafale. It filed wrong and misleading affidavit in Supreme Court about Rafale deal. Now this recent incident of stealing and theft of documents shows how desperate the government is to hide the facts. This also indicates that whatever came in public domain through leaks was correct about Rafale. Government has lot to answer in this regard,” he claimed.