New Delhi, Sept 22: Firing fresh salvo at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the controversial Rafale deal, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said this marks the first instance when a former French President has called an Indian PM a "thief".

The Gandhi scion was referring to Francois Hollande's recent interview with a French journal, where he claimed that the Modi government had left them with "no other option" but to choose Reliance Defence Ltd, floated by industrialist Anil Ambani, as the offset partner for Dassault Aviation in the Rafale fighter jets deal. Hollande Claims Modi Government Imposes Decision To Select Reliance Defence Ltd As Offset Partner.

Hollande's statement, quoted in the French journal, contradicts the claim of Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who have reiterated that the Centre had no role in selection of Reliance Defence Ltd as the offset partner.

"It is clear now that our Prime Minister is corrupt. The least he can do is issue a clarification...For the first time, an ex- French President is calling our PM a thief," the Congress chief said.

Below is the statement of Hollande which has left the Indian government in dock:

Responding to the interview, Defence Ministry spokesperson tweeted, "The report referring to former French President Mr Hollande's statement that GoI insisted upon a particular firm as offset partner for the Dassault Aviation in Rafale is being verified. It is reiterated that neither GoI nor French Govt had any say in the commercial decision."

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh reiterated the Defence Ministry's stand, calling it a "baseless allegation". "There is no point in raising controversies about Rafale deal. Defence Ministry has released a statement on the statement of Former French President (François Hollande), that they are verifying it. All the allegations are baseless," he said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 22, 2018 04:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).