The Goa government is yet to act on health minister Vishwajit Rane’s demand for an inquiry into an audio recording linked to him that claimed that documents related to the Rafale deal were in chief minister Manohar Parrikar’s bedroom.
Calls made to Rane and Goa director-general of police Muktesh Chander went unanswered on Friday.
On Thursday, the Goa DGP had said in response to a text message from The Telegraph asking if a probe would be ordered: “Not to my knowledge.” He did not respond to the same query on Friday.
Rane too did not respond when asked why he had not yet lodged a police complaint.
The two-and-a-half-minute audio tape was released by Congress communications chief Randeep Surjewala in Delhi on Wednesday morning.
In the tape, which the Congress claimed was a phone conversation between Rane and a journalist, a voice is heard saying that during a three-hour cabinet meeting Parrikar had claimed that documents related to the Rafale deal were in his bedroom.
“We have demanded that both Parrikar and Rane be subjected to a lie-detection test…. This is not rocket science that we have to go elsewhere. The audio tape can be tested in Goa itself,” said Girish Chodankar, the Goa Congress president.
Many social media users asked the same question.
“It has been more than 36 hours since the Rafale audio leak and even after claiming it to be fake, neither Vishvajeet Rane nor Manohar Parrikar or the BJP has lodged an FIR against it. Do you know why? Because Chowkidar hi chor hai,” tweeted Gaurav Pandhi, a vocal Congress supporter.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi used to refer to himself as the chowkidar (sentinel) of the country’s resources and Rahul Gandhi has popularised the phrase “chowkidar chor hai”.
Ajay Kumar, whose Twitter bio says he is a retired defence ministry bureaucrat, called for an FIR against Congress president Rahul.
“Sir please hold a press conference and also file FIR against Rahul Gandhi for spreading falsehood through a fake tape. Let the Minister Rane be the co-complainant. Otherwise this man will continue with his false propaganda and damage BJP image,” Kumar tweeted.
A section of the Goa Congress believes that the BJP will not order a probe into the tape as it is aware of its “authenticity”.
“Everyone in Goa knows it is Rane’s voice. There is nothing to prove. This discussion has been going on for months. Several other ministers too have spoken about it. Now that the tape has come out they are trying to find a means to escape,” said a senior Congress leader.