Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government over the Rafale defence deal with France. Addressing a crowd at his parliamentary constituency of Amethi, Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of snatching money from the poor and giving it to industrialist Anil Ambani.

“The country’s chaukidar [Modi] can talk about everything else but Rafale,” said Gandhi. “When thieves try to run from police stations, they are locked. They [government] neither informed the CBI nor anybody else but let Vijay Mallya run away with Rs 9,000 crore. They let Nirav Modi run, they let Choksi run. The prime minister also handed over Rs 30,000 crore to Anil Ambani.”

Gandhi added that France’s former President François Hollande has called Modi a thief, in reference to Hollande’s claims that his government “did not have a choice” in choosing Ambani’s company Reliance Defence for the deal. “Now, Modiji has to clarify why is he [Hollande] calling him a thief,” Gandhi told ANI. “Why was the price not disclosed...how was the contract given to Ambani...serious charges have been levelled by former French president Francois Hollande.”

Gandhi demanded an investigation by a Joint Parliamentary Committee. “Arun Jaitley talks about truth everyday,” he said. “Set up a JPC and the truth will be out in public. Modiji delivers lectures but he has not spoken a word about Rafale, Anil Ambani.”

#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

Modi ji ne HAL se contract chheen kar Anil Ambani ko de diya. Zindagi mein unhone aircraft nahi banaya. Humare jawan apni zindagi dete hain, Modi ji ne unki jeb se paisa chorri karke Anil Ambani ke jeb mein daal diya: Congress President Rahul Gandhi in Amethi #Rafale pic.twitter.com/zTTUXw0kym — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 24, 2018

Arun Jaitley har roz kehte hain sachai,sachai,sachai...JPC baithaiye aur sab sachai bahar aa jaayegi. Modi ji bade-bade bhashan dete hain par Rafale, Anil Ambani ke baare mein ek shabd nahi kehte. Kyunki chowkidaar ne Anil Ambani se chori karwayi hai: Rahul Gandhi in Amethi pic.twitter.com/L2wantdwte — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 24, 2018

The Congress president also claimed Modi had failed to deliver all his poll promises. “Narendra Modi had promised you that every year, 2 crore people would be employed,” said Gandhi. “[Rs] 15 lakh will be put into everybody’s account. He also said that farmers will get the right price for their produce. They did not do any of that.”

Gandhi will be in his constituency for the next two days. He is scheduled to participate in a series of programmes, including laying the foundation stones of development projects that would be implemented using funds from the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme.