Updated: August 29, 2018 3:06 PM IST 
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday launched a no-holds barred attack on Congress President Rahul Gandhi against the latter’s claims targeting the Narendra Modi government over the Rafale fighter jet deal.
In an exclusive interview to news agency ANI – his first after resuming office following a three-month break – Jaitley said that the allegations by Congress are based on “complete falsehood”, adding that Rahul Gandhi himself has given “seven different prices in different speeches” with regard to the 2007 Rafale deal.
#WATCH FM Arun Jaitley speaks exclusively to ANI https://t.co/hTAwXehPEv
— ANI (@ANI) August 29, 2018
“Congress Party’s false campaign launched on Rafale aircraft deal based on peddled untruth has been casting a cloud on the Inter-Governmental agreement and seriously compromising national security,” said Jaitley.
“This (allegations on Rafale deal) is like a kindergarten or primary school debate, “Well, I was paying 500 something and you’ve paid 1600 something”. That’s the argument being given, it shows how little understanding (Rahul Gandhi) he has,” he added.
The finance minister questioned the Congress if it is aware of the fact that the Indian government negotiated on the deal to procure 36 Rafale fighter jets from 2015 to 2016, and finally inked the deal at 9 per cent cheaper prices from what was finalised in 2007 during the UPA rule.
In Jaipur he used the two figures – Rs.520Cr & Rs.540Cr in the same speech. In Hyderabad, he invented a new price of Rs.526 Cr. Truth has only one version, falsehood has many. Are these allegations being made without any familiarity with the facts of the Rafale purchase?
— Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) August 29, 2018
Rahul Gandhi quoted a price of Rs.700 Cr per aircraft in Delhi and Karnataka in April and May this year. In Parliament, he reduced it to Rs.520 Cr per aircraft, in Raipur he increased it to Rs.540 Cr;
— Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) August 29, 2018
Arun Jaitley on Rafale Deal Live Updates: Which establish truth as a victim of Shri Rahul Gandhi and his party merely peddling his falsehoods. Needless to say that I am constrained by the secrecy clause, which exists in the contract and whatever I ask or respond to would be constrained by that limitation.
Arun Jaitley on Rafale Deal Live Updates: Congress must remember that it can’t fool people all the time. This is a government to government arrangement. Offset has nothing to do with this contract. Government will purchase 36 fully-loaded aircrafts from France, no private party involved. Govt role ends.
Arun Jaitley on Rafale Deal Live Updates: You comprised national security, you have not given any reason why you delayed it by ten years. The combat ability of our forces had to be increased; we live in a troubled zone.
Arun Jaitley on Rafale Deal Live Updates: Secondly, every fact that Shri Rahul Gandhi and the Congress Party has spoken on pricing and procedure are completely false, & thirdly, Congress Party’s effort of raising these issues is to further delay a defence procurement so that India’s defence preparedness further suffers.
Arun Jaitley on Rafale Deal Live Updates: The Congress Party and its leader, Shri Rahul Gandhi, are guilty on three counts: firstly, the UPA delayed the deal by over a decade comprising national security.
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