With their claims and counterclaims, the BJP and the Congress have turned the Rafale issue into a perception battle.
THE RAFALE ISSUE has been kept on the boil with a string of allegations about the 059,000-crore deal. Over the past few days, the Narendra Modi government has been furiously firefighting to debunk each allegation.
The jury is still out on whether the charges will stick, legally or politically. But what is striking is the ferocity with which Congress president Rahul Gandhi is building up the issue ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
In politics, it is perception that matters. The Narendra Modi government claims that it is fighting the perception battle. Both sides—the BJP and the Congress—have been trying to outdo each other in hurling corruption allegations. This means the Lok Sabha elections will be bitterly fought, with the Congress building a narrative around its mantra chowkidar chor hai (the guard is a thief), and the BJP painting the Gandhi family as the country’s bane.
The Congress’s strategy is to step up the pressure till Rafale becomes a Bofors moment for the Modi government. The government, in turn, has been trying to strengthen the cases against the Gandhi family. Investigating agencies recently summoned Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi’s husband, Robert Vadra, and his mother for questioning. Also, the purported revelations by Christian Michel, the alleged middleman in the scrapped AgustaWestland chopper deal, are likely to be made public as part of the charge-sheet, which may again be used to show the Gandhis in a bad light.
This story is from the February 24, 2019 edition of THE WEEK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the February 24, 2019 edition of THE WEEK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
There Is A Wind Blowing Against The BJP, And It Will Only Pick Up Speed
Interview - Akhilesh Yadav, Former Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh
Between hospital and home
Transitional care centres can add a lot to India's health care system
EFFORT VS EFFECT
The government's attempts to ensure quality drugs is evident, but how well new policies can be monitored on the ground remains to be seen
A way to let go of fear
Accepting the use of adult diapers is a journey with various stages-denial, concealment, rejection and reluctance
Mandeeps & a miracle
Two strangers, one deadly disease and an act of kindness. How Mandeep Mann saved Mandeep Singh, an acute leukaemia patient, by donating his stem cells
The A, B, C of cosmetic surgery
Between eight to 10 lakh cosmetic surgeries happen in India every year. Who is an ideal candidate, and what are the risks and results you can expect?
Vaccines and meningitis
In sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east, and encompassing the northern part of Nigeria, there exists a region known as the African Meningitis Belt (AMB).
Celebrating diversity and inclusivity
As Indians battle it out in our nation's 18th general election, it is again time for voters to reflect on the \"Idea of India\"-or rather, on two duelling ideas of India that are now before us and between which the nation must choose at the ballot box.
Defendant: an Hermès handbag
When Hermès was hit with a class-action lawsuit last month for \"antitrust\" activities, it didn't see it coming. Most of the luxury world has all eyes on this suit, filed by two interested consumers who claim they were denied a purchase, and whether it would go to trial.
A legacy, bound
Amal Allana's biography of her father, Ebrahim Alkazi, is as much personal as it is historical