"Your father's life ended as "Bhrashtachari No 1": Modi attacks RaGa

Lucknow: In the political combat for 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday in an attempt to inflict insult to the Congress party said that the life of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi ended as "corrupt number 1".

PM Modi in a public rally in Uttar Pradesh said, "Your father was termed 'Mr Clean' by his courtiers, but his life ended as ''Bhrashtachari No 1'' (corrupt number 1)," referring to the Bofors case that devastated the Congress government of Rajiv Gandhi in the 1980s.

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Modi also referred to the Congress chief's never-ending attacks on him alleging Modi corrupt and for chanting slogans like 'chowkidar chor hai' in his relation to the infamous Rafale jet deal, saying Mr Gandhi's only aim was to tarnish his image.

It is to be mentioned that the Bofors case of 1980s had ruined congress image and party's chances of returning to power for years. The then Prime Minister and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi's husband, Rajiv Gandhi was alleged to receive a huge amount of money in bribe by the Swedish defence manufacturer Bofors for the sale of its artillery gun to India. The High Court, however, gave him a clean chit as there was no evidence against him for taking bribes.

Rajiv Gandhi was later assassinated in 1991.

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PM Modi, who is seeking a second term in the ongoing national elections against a coalition of opposition parties including the Congress, said "these people" wanted to install a weak government by tarnishing his image.

"By tarnishing my image and by making me look small, these people want to form an unstable and a weak government in the country," he said.

"The naamdaar (dynast) must clearly listen that this Modi was not born with a golden spoon, nor was he born in any royal family," he said, referring to Mr Gandhi.

The Congress and other opposition parties claim that the Modi-led BJP government reworked a UPA-era deal to buy 36 Rafale fighter aircraft from France's Dassault Aviation at a much higher price tag and awarded a Rs. 30,000-crore offset contract to industrialist Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence in spite of several stakeholders advising against it.

Although the allegations have been denied by the centre, Reliance and the French government, Rahul Gandhi has promised to launch an investigation into the case if voted to power in 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

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