Descending to an appallingly new low, Congress President Rahul Gandhi yesterday dragged late Manohar Parrikar’s name to lie about the Rafale Deal in one of his election rallies. Manohar Parrikar succumbed to pancreatic cancer and breathed his last on March 17, 2019. Campaigning for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Rahul Gandhi declared in Nagpur that Parrikar had information of the corruption in the Rafale deal and hence he was distancing himself from the deal.

”The Chowkidar has committed theft. When the erstwhile defence minister Manohar Parrikar was asked about the deal, he said to ask about the new deal to Narendra Modi, not me,” Rahul exclaimed. Rahul asserted that Manohar Parrikar knew that corruption has taken place and someone will get trapped. Hence, he was distancing himself from the deal, claimed Rahul.

Rahul Gandhi continued his attack on PM Modi claiming that if Congress is voted to power, a probe will be initiated into the Rafale deal and Chowkidar will go to jail. Gandhi scion also continued with the familiar rant of why Anil Ambani was given the contract for Rafale, and not anyone from Vidarbha, the region where the poll rally was held.

Earlier too, when Manohar Parrikar was critically ill, Rahul Gandhi had dropped in to pay him a visit. Even then Rahul Gandhi had used the occasion to lie about the supposed discussion he had with Parrikar about the Rafale deal. In fact, Parrikar, ailing from a serious disease himself came out to debunk Gandhi’s false claims of having any discussion on the Rafale deal. In a scathing attack, Parrikar then asserted that stooping so low to make a false statement raises questions about the purpose of Rahul Gandhi’s visit.

- Advertisement -

Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders have in the past alleged that Manohar Parrikar has all the Rafale deal files in his bedroom. Manohar Parrikar had dismissed the audio tapes as doctored which were released by the Congress alleging corruption in the Rafale deal. Parrikar had refuted the allegations levelled by Congress asserting that it is an attempt to fabricate facts.

The Supreme Court, as well as CAG, scotched any last vestiges of doubts regarding corruption in the Rafale deal. SC and CAG both have held that no wrongdoing has happened in the Rafale deal. Yet, Rahul Gandhi continues to lie about the Rafale deal by pulling off random numbers each time he talks about the purported corruption in the Rafale deal.

The brand of politics embraced by Rahul Gandhi is brutally insensitive as he continues to invoke a person and attribute unfounded claims to him even after his death. Thus, one solemnly hopes and prays that Manohar Parrikar has departed to a better world where people like Rahul Gandhi don’t exist who stoop down to any level to further their callous politics.