Providing secret info to journalist 'criminal act': Rahul Gandhi on purported Arnab Goswami's chats

He said there is nothing patriotic about taking political advantage over the strikes

India's opposition Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi addresses a press conference in New Delhi on January 19, 2021. Credit: AFP Photo

Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, suggesting that he may have committed a “criminal act” of passing on sensitive prior information about the Balakot air strikes to a journalist.

Addressing a press conference, the former Congress President said that only five persons had prior knowledge about the Balakot air strikes – the Prime Minister, the Defence Minister, the Home Minister, the National Security Adviser and the Air Force chief and. Alleging that out of the five people, one gave the information to a journalist, Rahul demanded a probe into the “criminal act” of "leaking out" such sensitive information to a journalist.

“This process (probe) should start, but this process will not start because the Prime Minister may have given the information,” Rahul told reporters referring to the WhatsApp chats of television journalist Arnab Goswami mentioned in the chargesheet in the TRP ratings case.

Also read: Maharashtra govt to check applicability of Official Secrets Act on Arnab Goswami and Partho's WhatsApp chats

“If Mr Arnab Goswami knows, if it is on his WhatsApp, I assume the Pakistanis also know it. It is not a very big jump. It is a criminal act and that investigation should begin,” he said.

Rahul said he found it distressing that after the 2019 Pulwama terror attack on CRPF personnel, the journalist has commented “this is good for us”.

“This is a reflection of the mind of the Prime Minister that it is good that 40 of our people have been killed and we will win the elections,” the Congress leader alleged.

On the farm sector reforms, Rahul said through the three farm laws, the Modi government has sought to hand over the entire agriculture sector to “three to four crony capitalists”.

“Farmers know the reality. All farmers know what Rahul Gandhi does.… I have a character, I am not scared of Narendra Modi or anyone. They can't touch me. Yes, they can shoot me, but can't touch me. I am a patriot and will protect my country... I am more fanatic than them,” the Congress leader said.

Rahul said that until now there was no monopoly in the agriculture sector and the three laws would hand over the sector to a few businessmen.