‘Will file complaint in Rafale audio tape case if Congress directs’: Girish Chodankar

Chodankar said, 'Neither a case has been registered nor an action taken against Parrikar and Rane. The Rafale audio tapes are genuine.'

Panaji: A police complaint will be filed in the Rafale audio tape case if All India Congress Committee (AICC) directs us to do so, said Goa Congress Committee (GCC) president Girish Chodankar on Monday.

“As neither a case has been registered nor action taken against Manohar Parrikar and Vishwajit Rane over the Rafale deal tape row, we will file a police complaint if the AICC directs us to do so,” he said.

Earlier in December last year, a clip was released by the Congress, wherein Goa Minister Vishwajit Rane was purportedly heard saying to an unidentified person that Goa Chief Minister Parrikar had Rafale files with him, due to which he has managed to continue to be the CM.

Talking to ANI, Chodankar said: “Neither a case has been registered nor an action taken against Parrikar and Rane. The Rafale audio tapes are genuine.”

“It is obvious that the tapes are authentic and that Goa CM, Parrikar, is in possession of explosive Rafale secrets that give him power over the PM,” Rahul Gandhi tweeted earlier on Monday.

Following the controversy, a war of words had erupted between the Congress and the BJP after the former claimed that Rafale deal file was lying in Parrikar’s bedroom.

Rane hit back at the Congress, asserting that the audio tape was doctored and Parrikar made no mention about Rafale deal and its documents.

“The audio tape is doctored. Congress has stooped to such a low level to doctor a tape to create miscommunication between the Cabinet and Chief Minister. Parrikar has never made any reference to Rafale or any documents. I have asked him for a criminal investigation into the matter,” Rane had told reporters in Panaji.

The Rafale jet deal controversy has been on the boil over the last a few months. The Congress and other opposition parties have been alleging irregularities in the high-profile deal.