Rahul should apologise over Rafale accusations: Tripura CM

Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Thursday said that "a conspiracy was hatched against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Rafale deal" and demanded apology from the entire Congress leadership including Rahul Gandhi for blaming corruption in the defence deal.

Deb, also the President of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party unit in Tripura, while talking to the media said that "a conspiracy was devised against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Rafale deal to malign the central government".

He strongly demanded that the entire Congress leadership including party leader Rahul Gandhi should apologise to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the bogus accusation of corruption in the defence deal.

"As the people of the country do not trust the Congress that's why they are making concocted allegations against Prime Minister and the BJP. The Supreme Court verdict on the Rafale deal once again cleared that the entire process to acquire the Rafale fighter jet was completely transparent," the Chief Minister asserted.

The apex court on Thursday dismissed a review petition seeking a probe into the Rafale deal to procure 36 fighter planes from French company Dassault.

A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and comprising Justices S.K. Kaul and K.M. Joseph said the court does not feel it necessary to order a "roving" inquiry or an FIR into the deal to probe the deal announced in April 2015 during Modi's visit to France.IANS