A day after Rahul Gandhi’s Rafale remarks, Goa CM Manohar Parrikar questions ‘sincerity’ of visit, says he never mentioned Rafale in their ‘five-minute’ meeting.
New Delhi: Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar Wednesday accused Congress President Rahul Gandhi of “stooping low” in using his visit “to an ailing person to feed political opportunism”.
Parrikar was responding to Gandhi’s statements on 29 January that the former defence minister had told him that he had nothing to do with the Rafale deal.
“Reading media reports covering your visit to my office has caused me distress,” reads the letters written by Parrikar to the Congress president. “It is reported in the media today that you said quoting me that I was nowhere in the process of procuring Rafale nor did I have any information then about it.”
The former defence minister asserted that he never even mentioned Rafale during the discussion. He also underlined that the deal for the 36 Rafale fighters was as per the Defence Procurement Procedure.
“In the 05 minutes that you spent with me, neither did you mention anything about Rafale nor did we discuss anything about/related to it,” Parrikar has said.
Goa CM Manohar Parrikar writes to Congress President Rahul Gandhi, writes “I feel let down that you have used this visit for your petty political gains. In the 5 minutes you spent with me, neither did you mention anything about Rafale, now did we discuss anything related to it.’ pic.twitter.com/HbUX6yiDk3
— ANI (@ANI) January 30, 2019
‘Gandhi using visit for petty political gains’
He has added that he “feels let down” that Gandhi used the visit for “petty political gains”.
“Paying a courtesy visit and then stooping so low for making a false statement for political gain, has raised in my mind, questions about the sincerity and purpose of your visit itself,” Parrikar has written.
Taking it further, he has said that he is fighting a “life-threatening” illness and that he thought Gandhi’s visit would give him good wishes in serving the people of Goa.
“Little did I know that you had other intentions,” the letter reads. “With deep disappointment, I write to you hoping that you would put out the truth. Kindly do not use your visit to an ailing person to feed political opportunism.”
Also read: Rahul Gandhi calls on Manohar Parrikar, discusses Delhi pollution, not Rafale jets
Gandhi’s remarks spark row
Gandhi, who had met Parrikar in Goa Tuesday, had made the remarks in Kochi later in the day. “The ex-defence minister Parrikar clearly stated that he has nothing to do with the new deal that was orchestrated by Narendra Modi to benefit Anil Ambani,” he told a Congress gathering in Kochi.
BJP President Amit Shah tweeted the letter and accused Gandhi of being insensitive by “lying” in the name of a person fighting a disease.
Dear Rahul Gandhi, you showed how insensitive you are, by lying in the name of a person fighting a disease.
The people of India are disgusted by your reckless behaviour.
In his trademark style, @manoharparrikar ji sets the record straight. https://t.co/ok4GN8I6yS
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) January 30, 2019