Parrikar Under Immense Pressure from PM After Our Meeting: Rahul

Rahul Gandhi said he did not share the details of his meeting with Parrikar in his two public speeches.

Rahul Gandhi and Manohar Parrikar.

(Photo: PTI/Altered by The Quint)

Hours after Goa Chief Minister and former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar accused Rahul Gandhi of using his courtesy visit for “petty political gains,” the Congress president clarified his position on Wednesday, 30 January, saying his meeting with Parrikar was “strictly personal” and driven purely by empathy for his situation.

“I have not shared any details of my conversation with you when we met in Goa yesterday. In my two speeches since we met, I have referred to what is already in the public domain.”

Rahul Gandhi’s letter

Gandhi, in his letter, asserted that he empathised with Parrikar’s situation.

“I understand the immense pressure you are under after our meeting yesterday. Pressure that forced you to take unusual step of demonstrating your loyalty to PM and his cronies by attacking me in uncharacteristic manner.”

Rahul Gandhi’s letter

‘Nothing About Rafale Was Mentioned In Our Meeting’: Parrikar

Earlier on Wednesday, Parrikar had written a letter to Rahul Gandhi saying he felt “let down” by how the latter had used his visit for “petty political gains”.

“I feel let down that you have used this visit for your petty political gains. In the 05 minutes you spent with me, neither did you mention anything about Rafale, nor did we discuss anything about/related to it. Nothing whatsoever about Rafale was even mentioned in your meeting with me.”

Manohar Parrikar’s letter to Rahul Gandhi

(Photo Courtesy: ANI)

(Photo Courtesy: ANI)

Parrikar’s letter came after Gandhi renewed his attack against Narendra Modi over the Rafale deal. While attacking the PM, Gandhi brought up his Tuesday meeting with the former defence minister.

<i>“Kal mein Parrikar ji se mila. Parrikar ji ne swayam kaha tha ki deal badalte samay PM ne Hindustan ke Defence Minister se nahi poocha.”</i><i> </i>(“I met former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar yesterday. He himself had said that the Prime Minister did not consult the Defence Minister while changing the Rafale deal.”)

Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi had met current Goa CM Manohar Parrikar at the state Assembly complex in Panaji and enquired about his health on Tuesday.

Gandhi had met him a day after alleging that the “Goa audio tapes” cited by the Congress to attack the Centre on the Rafale issue, were authentic and Parrikar was in possession of “explosive secrets” that gave him power over PM Modi.

During Wednesday’s address, the Congress president accused PM Modi of "not looking at him in the eye” when questioned about Rafale.

<i>“Ek taraf Parrikar ji Cabinet meeting mein kehte hain ki mere paas Rafale hawai jahaz ki file padi hui hai, mujhe Goa se koi nahi hata sakta. Unka mantri journalist se telephone pe baat karta hai. Modi ji Parrikar ko khush karne ki koshish karte hain.</i> (On one hand, Parrikar ji says in the Cabinet meeting that he has the file on the Rafale aircraft, no one can remove him from Goa. His minister talks to a journalist on telephone. And Modiji tries to please Parrikar).”

Rahul Gandhi, as quoted by ANI.

(With inputs from ANI.)