Taunting Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Union Minister Smriti Irani sought to know how those who "looted the poor" could criticize Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a party meeting in Mahabubnagar. She further took a dig by asking how those who were indulged in "corruption" and "filled the coffers of Congress" target the "pradhan sevak"? Her backlash came in response to Gandhi's accusation against Modi over the Rafale deal. In a covered reference to Priyanka Gandhi’s husband, Robert Vadra's alleged acquisition of properties in London, she said that those who lived amidst the rich and looted the poor for years and whose (referred to Rahul Gandhi)brother-in-law purchases assets in London, have the temerity to cast aspersions on the Prime Minister.PM Modi had announced the procurement of a batch of 36 Rafale jets after holding talks with the French president Francois Hollande on April 10, 2015 in Paris.
In turn, the Opposition Congress has accused the Centre of choosing Reliance Defence over state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.(HAL) as offset partner to benefit the private firm though it did not have any experience in the aerospace sector