‘Modi haunted by Rafale files at Parrikar’s house’

Panaji, April 11 (IANS) The Goa Congress on Thursday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was still haunted by the Rafale files allegedly stashed at Late Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's residence and it was the reason why Modi was repeatedly taking Parrikar's name in his poll speech near Panaji on Wednesday.

Goa Congress media convenor Trajano D'Mello told the media here: "The fact that he (Modi) has taken Parrikar's name so many times in his speech in Goa, proves two things -- one that his (Parrikar's) ghost is still haunting the Prime Minister and other that the ghost still lies in the Rafale files which are at the residence of Parrikar, according to (Goa's Health Minister) Vishwajit Rane."

An audio clip allegedly featuring the voice of Rane and a local journalist -- in which the former claimed that Parrikar, in a December 2018 cabinet meeting, had admitted to possessing a stash of files related to the Rafale deal -- had created a ruckus in Parliament in January this year.

Rane had subsequently said that the tape was "doctored" while Parrikar had then maintained that no such conversation occurred during the cabinet meeting.

Though Rane had demanded a probe by security agencies both at the State and Centre, no such formal enquiry was initiated by the state police department.

D'Mello said: "This shows that something was amiss and implies that the audio content in Rane's audio clip was genuine."

"On one hand, the Central government is telling (the Supreme Court) that the Rafale files are stolen. Their investigation agencies are harassing opponents left, right and centre and you cannot locate who is the person who has stolen the files? And then a Goa Minister says the files are in Parrikar's house. There is a clear connection," he alleged.