Rafale big scam, says D Raja; will meet Bofors fate, retorts JD-U's Tyagi

New Delhi [India], Jan 3 (ANI): CPI veteran D Raja on Thursday termed Rafale fighter jet a big scam, while Janata Dal-United leader KC Tyagi said the whole controversy over the jet fighter deal would dissipate like a bubble.
"Rafale deal is a big scam in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is involved. The Prime Minister should tell what the truth is. He must answer why the number of aircraft has been reduced? Why the prices have been enhanced and why the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was bypassed," said Raja, while talking to ANI.
Rajya Sabha member and JD-U leader Tyagi, however, said: "Nothing was found in the Bofors scam and nothing would be found in Rafale too," said Tyagi while talking to ANI.
The Bofors scandal was a major weapons-contract political scandal that occurred between India and Sweden during 1980s and 1990s in which then Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, and several other members of Indian and Swedish governments were accused of receiving the kickbacks.
Tyagi also slammed the Congress party and its president Rahul Gandhi for cornering Prime Minister Modi on the Rafale deal, saying that the Congress party has not acted as a 'responsible opposition' in the Parliament.
"Since the last one month, the role of Congress party has been to malign the image Prime Minister Modi and disrupt the proceedings of Parliament. This is not the role of a responsible opposition party," said Tyagi, whose JD-U is a BJP ally.
Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday threatened to play in the Lok Sabha an audio tape that claimed former Defence Minister and now Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has the Rafale files with him.
Rahul, however, aborted the idea after a strong protest from the treasury benches and insistence from Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to authenticate the tapes.
The Congress president on Wednesday also expressed his desire to have a direct debate with Prime Minister Modi over the issue of Rafale fighter plane procurement.
The Rafale jet deal controversy has been on the boil over the last a few months. The Congress and other opposition parties have been alleging irregularities in the high-profile deal, which the ruling BJP has denied outrightly. (ANI)