#RafaleDeal: France supports PM, but RaGa stands by his statement
What's the story
Congress President Rahul Gandhi has reportedly denied France's statement regarding the Rafale Deal and said he stands by his statements. After Rahul Gandhi's attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, France supported the latter and said details about the Rafale Deal are classified. The Lok Sabha saw a lot of arguments and counter-arguments today during the debate on the no-confidence motion.
Quote
Even Manmohan Singh was present at the meeting: Rahul Gandhi
"Let them deny, I stand by my statement. I, Anand Sharma & Manmohan Singh were present at the meeting with French President," Rahul Gandhi said. Earlier, he claimed he met with Emmanuel Macron and inquired about the secrecy of Rafale Deal.
The response
France's statements on Rafale Deal leaves Rahul Gandhi red-faced
Attacking Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and NDA government, Gandhi asked why rates of Rafale Deal weren't revealed. Reacting to this, France released a statement which dissed Gandhi's claims. "France and India concluded in 2008 a Security agreement, which legally binds the two States to protect the classified information provided by the partner," France said. France said it could affect the security of both the countries.
Twitter Post
We can't reveal details of sensitive deal, France supports NDA
As the President of the French Republic indicated publicly in an interview given to India Today on 9th March 2018, In India and in France, when a deal is very sensitive, we can’t reveal all details: France statement #NoConfidenceMotion
— ANI (@ANI) July 20, 2018
Expectations
Of course, Modi will reply to Opposition's statement fiercely
Now that France has also endorsed NDA's stand on Rafale Deal, one can expect Modi to use it to prove how his government is right. The PM is expected to speak soon and sources claimed Opposition leaders will stage a walkout in protest after the debate. It seems PM Modi will launch the campaign for 2019 from Lok Sabha today.