BJP counters Rahul Gandhi's 'lie' on CBI Rafale probe, says he's living in 'hallucination'

The BJP on Thursday accused Congress chief Rahul Gandhi of manufacturing lies every day on the Rafale jet deal and said he is in hallucination as his party has lost relevance.

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar. PTI Photo

NEW DELHI: The BJP on Thursday accused Congress chief Rahul Gandhi of manufacturing lies every day on the Rafale jet deal and said he is in hallucination as his party has lost relevance. "The Congress is dreaming about the Rafale deal all the time. The party only spread lies. What do they mean by saying CBI Director Alok Verma was removed because he was investigating Rafale case? It's a lie," Union minister Prakash Javadekar said. He was reacting to Gandhi's allegations that the government forced CBI director Alok Verma to go on indefinite leave over the possibility of him investigating the Rafale deal. "Congress has lost all hopes to become relevant and Rahul Gandhi is manufacturing lies every day of Rafale jet deal," he added. The Minister said Rahul is living in hallucination and Indian citizens are more mature than him. "We never intervene in CBI activities but we have seen many cases where Congress interferes in CBI investigation," he said. The CBI has also rejected reports that a file related to Rafale fighter aircraft deal was under the consideration of its Director Alok Verma, who was divested of his powers by the Centre on Wednesday. Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said forcing Alok Verma to go on indefinite leave was "illegal" and alleged that it was done as Narendra Modi panicked over the possibility of him investigating his "corruption". The interim charge of the agency has been given a person who has cases against him so that the prime minister can control him, Gandhi alleged, referring to joint director Nageswara Rao. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Wednesday said Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana were asked to go on leave as per the recommendation of the Central Vigilance Commission and it was "absolutely essential" to maintain the institutional integrity of CBI. (With inputs from agencies)