New Delhi, December 20: Congress today slammed Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa for coming in support of the Rafale Deal. Congress leader Veerappa Moily sparked a fresh controversy by calling him a ‘liar’ over the deal. The Chief of Air Staff, yesterday, during his visit to Air Force Station Jaipur to review ongoing exercise between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Russian Federation Aerospace Force (RFASF), said that the Supreme Court had given a “fine judgment” on petitions against the deal with France on the military aircraft. Rafale Deal Verdict: BJP’s Anurag Thakur Moves Privilege Motion Against Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha.

The former union minister accused Dhanoa of "suppressing the truth" and stating that the IAF chief himself "is not fine". Moily also asked for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe in the deal. He even said that the Supreme Court is not competent and claimed that its judgment was ‘web of lies’. Later, he clarified to News18 that he never called IAF chief a 'liar'.

The IAF chief on Wednesday called Rafale a game changer. He also cautioned against the politicisation of defence purchases, suggesting that this had earlier led to the delay in the Army acquiring the Bofors gun. Dhanoa said as far as the technology is concerned, there is no argument against the Rafale aircraft. The Congress is alleging irregularities in the deal for 36 aircraft and claimed that the Narendra Modi government is buying them at a price much higher than the one that was being negotiated by the previous government.

Earlier in November, Dhanoa wrote to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman that the deal to purchase 36 Rafale fighters from France should not be hampered due to the controversy, reported Hindustan Times. The letter was written to the defence minister at the time when the case was pending with the Supreme Court.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 20, 2018 03:29 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).