Notwithstanding the government’s defence of the Rafale deal in the Lok Sabha today, Congress president Rahul Gandhi appeared in no mood to relent and dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a 20-minute debate on the issue.

Moments after Finance Minister Arun Jaitley accused Gandhi of “lying on Rafale”, Gandhi repeated his “watchman-is-a-thief” charge on the PM challenging the latter to a debate, asking why a Rs 526 crore aircraft’s was “inflated” to Rs 1,600 crore aircraft; why HAL was “shunted out” of the Indo-French Government to Government deal and why private industrialist Anil Ambani, with “zero” experience of aircraft manufacturing, was patronized Gandhi, flanked by Congress media chief Randeep Surjewala at AICC headquarters here, cited a taped conversation of a Goa minister today to say, “Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar told his Cabinet he has Rafale papers in his bedroom. The Goa CM is blackmailing the PM with this information and is saying no one can touch him. What information does he have on Rafale? And who knows there could be more tapes,” Gandhi said, indicating he was privy to more “incriminating” tapes on the deal’s details.

The claim followed Jaitley’s accusation in the Lok Sabha today that the Congress is “manufacturing” tapes in their “desperation to paint a clean government black”. Asked why he didn’t play the tape in the Lok Sabha today, Gandhi said “because the Speaker Sabha didn’t give permission”.With Jaitley attacking Gandhi and his family personally, the Congress chief repeated all his old charges steering clear of the Government’s defence that the Apex Court had dismissed all anti-Rafale petitions after “satisfying its conscience on pricing”.

“The SC has said it can’t get into pricing. We are asking why the PM is hiding behind the FM and why is the Defence Minister not answering the debate on Rafale. The PM does not have the courage to face the House. But the truth will reveal itself,” Gandhi said making light of Jaitley’s serial jibes on him in LS today including “Mr Gandhi’s lessons must begin from A, B,C; Mr Gandhi doesn’t even know kindergarten arithmetic and some people have a natural dislike for truth”.