The BJP is set to take on an aggressive posture on the Rafale deal and the Supreme Court verdict quashing calls for a probe, by deploying top leaders, including Chief Ministers and Union Ministers, across 70 cities to attack the Congress on December 17.
“The BJP will unmask the Congress’ conspiracy against the government and its attempt to play with national security after the Supreme Court has categorically stated the truth about that the Rafale deal,” said Anil Baluni, Rajya Sabha MP and the BJP media cell chief.
The campaign will include Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadanvis, Gujarat’s Vijay Rupani and Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal addressing the media in Guwahati, Ahmedabad, Jaipur and Agartala respectively.
Multiple press meets
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will address a press conference in Mumbai, while Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad will do so in Bhopal, on the day Kamal Nath will be sworn in as Chief Minister.
Former Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan is scheduled to address the press in Lucknow, putting a question mark over whether he will follow the formality of attending the swearing-in ceremony of his successor.
In a boost to the BJP-led central government, the Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a batch of petitions seeking probe into the Rafale deal. The government and the ruling party however faced embarrassment over the filing of a corrective application filed in the Supreme Court today over claims in the judgement that a comptroller and auditor general (C&AG) report on a Rafale had been tabled in Parliament and was examined by the Public Accounts Committee when it hadn’t been.
Following the judgement, BJP president Amit Shah has sought an apology from Congress chief Rahul Gandhi who, however, stuck to his guns and alleged corruption in the deal.
