Lies peddled to save dynasty: Arun Jaitley slams Congress for accusing CAG over Rafale report

Countering the Congress' statement that the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) should recuse himself from auditing the Rafale deal since he was the finance secretary then, Union Minister Arun Jaitley said on February 12 that the Congress is peddling lies.

"In relation to the Rafale deal where thousands of crores of public money has been saved, a new falsehood is manufactured on a daily basis. The latest is in relation to the present CAG and his participation in the decision-making process of Rafale," Jaitley wrote in a blog posted on Facebook.

"In 2014-15, the present CAG was Secretary (Economic Affairs) in the Ministry of Finance. Being a seniormost officer at one point of time, he was also designated as the Finance Secretary," Jaitley wrote.

"I say this without fear of contradiction that no file or paper relating to the Rafale transaction ever reached him nor was he in any way, directly or indirectly, associated with the decision-making on defence purchases," the Union Minister added.

Jaitley also stated that the use of "sliced document by a newspaper is unprecedented in the history", referring to a report by The Hindu which claimed the government waived anti-corruption clauses in the Rafale deal.

Accusing the Congress of being "captive of a dynasty", Jaitley stated that many of the grand old party's senior leaders "lack the courage and moral authority to advise the dynasts to change course".

"The 'slave' mentality of senior leaders convinces them that they must only sing the song scripted by the dynast. A contrarian opinion will cost them their political career. When the dynast speaks lies, they all join the chorus," Jaitley wrote.

The Union Minister also called the Grand Alliance 'Mahajhootbandhan' and the Congress' "contagion effect of falsehood" has also spread to parties of the Mahagathbandhan.