Finance Minister Arun Jaitley took to Facebook again to lash out at Congress president Rahul Gandhi, saying the Opposition leader was “out-clowning” himself and his persistence on the Rafale issue could be a “personality issue” rather than “hallucinations.”
In a blog entitled, “Is the Clown Prince out-clowning himself?” Mr. Jaitley said that he felt, “it is much more than hallucinations. Is it a personality issue where he (Mr. Gandhi) lies a dozen times and then in some self-delusion believes it to be true or is it a case of a Clown Prince out-clowning?”
“Many young lawyers practising criminal law used to get an advice early in their career from Veterans in the field. They were told, ‘if you are strong on facts, bang the facts. If you are strong on law, bang the law. If you are weak on both, then bang the desk.’ Those who advise Rahul Gandhi appear to have persuaded him that he is cut out only for the third option,” wrote Mr. Jaitley.
“Rafale aircraft and its weaponry is not being manufactured in India at all, neither by Dassault or by any other private company. All 36 aircraft and their weapons in a fully flyable and usable form will arrive in India. After the supplies begin Dassault has to make purchases in India for 50% of the contract value. This is as per the UPA’s policy,” says Mr. Jaitley. “If the total deal is for ₹58,000 crore, 50% of that amounts to ₹29,000 crore. These supplies to Dassault are to be made by over 120 offset suppliers and which the business house named is one of them. Dassault has said that only 3% of offset may come to that business house which is less than ₹1000 crore,” he added.
Congress response
Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said: “This is why the economy is where it is today as the Finance Minister has nothing else to do except write these meaningless blogs ... Soon a time will come when the people of India will ensure that they only write blogs.”
