Congress president Rahul Gandhi continues to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi everyday over the ‘Rafale scam’ and on Monday he took a swipe at Modi, saying his “minions” are threatening journalists against reporting on the scam. The Gandhi scion, however, lauded the media persons who have the guts to defend the truth and stand up to “Mr 56”.

“Supreme leader’s minions are now sending threatening messages to journalists reporting on the Rafale scam asking them to “back off or else... “I’m really proud of the few brave Press people who still have the guts to defend the truth and stand up to Mr 56,” he said in a tweet. Rahul’s dig at Modi came over his “56-inch chest” remark made during the last lok Sabha elections to tackle Pakistan and China.

The Congress alleged Modi was indulging in “theatrics” to skip questions on the Rafale deal. “When he has been exposed on the Rafale deal, he used all the possible theatrics to say that he is a ‘bhagidar’ but has evaded answering the questions raised,” Congress spokesman Raj Babbar said. The question still remains as to why the Rafale deal was snatched from the HAl, which is a Government undertaking, and handed over to a private company floated just 15 days before by someone with no experience even of the bicycle business, said the RS member.

“Rahul Gandhi has fully exposed them...They will get more entangled if they try to free themselves of the blame... The reality is that the industrial growth rate presently is 3.3 per cent while it was 6 per cent during the UPA rule,” Babbar said.               

In an apparent reference to former SP leader Amar Singh, who the Prime Minister said could give details of what all was done during the rule of the previous governments, Babbar said, “A ‘bimar bechara’ (unwell and helpless person) was presented as a witness before industrialists who had gathered for an event here.”