Senior Congress Leader Mallikarjun Kharge Calls Rafale’s Shashtra Puja A ‘Tamasha’; Recalls Scam Riddled Bofors

Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge who was the party’s leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha described the Shashtra Puja on India’s first Rafale jet as a Tamasha.

“There is no need to do such Tamasha (Shashtra Puja) When we bought weapons-like the Bofors gun previously purchased, no one went and brought them while showing off”, Kharge was quoted as saying.

He added that when the Congress was in power it had refrained from showing off its defence acquisitions like Bofors.

The Bofors deal for 155 mm field howitzers which Kharge referenced became a big scandal during the erstwhile Rajiv Gandhi government, with senior government functionaries accused of taking kickbacks in exchange of approving the deal.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday (8 October) performed the Shashtra Puja on India’s first Rafale jet on the occasion of Vijay Dashmi. This puja included him drawing the Om symbol on the fighter Jet.