Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday said a criminal investigation will be launched into the Rafale deal and the accused will be punished if his party comes to power in 2019.
Ahead of the government's reply, Gandhi urged Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to answer the questions raised by the Congress on the multi-million dollar fighter jet deal, he told the media outside the Parliament.
"We and the entire opposition want that when defence minister speaks on the PM's behalf, the questions raised by us should be answered," Gandhi told reporters.
The Congress president also asked Sitharaman whether any objections were raised on the Rafale contract file by the negotiating team and the defence ministry.
Gandhi also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of running away from the debate and said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley should answer questions raised by the Congress instead of abusing him.
Initiating a discussion in Lok Sabha, Gandhi said the nation is asking the PM a direct question on Rafale deal. “Prime Minister in an interview said that no one is accusing him personally on Rafale. The entire nation is asking a direct question to the PM,” Gandhi said.
(With Agency Inputs)
