Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said Goa chief minister and former defence minister Manohar Parrikar was “blackmailing and threatening” the Prime Minister because Parrikar had all the information on the Rafale deal.

Referring to an audio tape that the Congress released earlier in the day, Rahul told a media conference: “The health minister in the Goa government (Vishwajit Rane) is saying Parrikar in the cabinet meeting claimed ‘I have Rafale information’….”

Rahul added: “Basically, Parrikar is threatening and blackmailing the Prime Minister. The question is — what is there in Parrikar’s bedroom, what files, what information? And what is its impact on Narendra Modi?”

He added: “By the way, there might be more tapes of this nature.”

Both Rane and Parrikar later issued denials, questioning the authenticity of the contents of the tape.

In the Lok Sabha, as the BJP members led by finance minister Arun Jaitley fiercely protested, the Speaker asked Rahul to authenticate the genuineness of the tape in writing before quoting from it.

Rahul did not do so, following which he was not allowed to play the audio tape or read out the transcript. Sources later speculated that the Congress MP probably did not want to offer any pretext to the government to pave the way for his expulsion from the Lok Sabha where the NDA has the upper hand.

Asked why he didn’t authenticate the tape, Rahul told the media conference: “The tape is genuine and the Congress party has formally released it.”

Congress communications chief Randeep Surjewala played the tape in the morning, claiming that another piece of evidence exposing wrongdoing in the Rafale deal had come to surface.

The conversation is purportedly between minister Vishwajit Rane, son of former Goa chief minister Pratapsingh Rane, who defected to the BJP from the Congress after the last Assembly election, and an unidentified journalist.

The transcript of the audio played at the Congress media conference and mentioned during the Rafale debate in the Lok Sabha by several members, is as follows:

Purported journalist: Good evening, Sir

Purported minister: Boss, Good evening. I called today…, there was a three-hour cabinet meeting.

Purported journalist: Okay.

Purported minister: Just keep it confidential.

Purported journalist: Han han

Purported minister: There were so many fights… you know… so many fights… (Name of another minister) went on and recruited maximum engineers from his constituency. So everybody…. (Another minister) got the list and showed it to him. Everybody was fighting with him and everybody was upset because no work is being done on recruitment front.

Purported journalist: Okay.

Purported minister: (Name of a third minister) was fighting with (another minister) because his work was not being done.

Purported journalist: Okay.

Purported minister: Apart from that, the chief minister makes one interesting statement. That I have all the information of Rafale in my bedroom.

Purported journalist: What are you saying?

Purported minister: I am telling you….

Purported journalist: My God!

Purported minister: Which you should actually make a story and actually you can crosscheck with somebody whom you are close to within the cabinet.

Purported journalist: Okay.

Purported minister: Because this is how, you know… this is something… which he said… that means he is holding them to ransom….

Purported journalist: I swear.

Purported minister: He said ‘it’s in my bedroom…. here only in the flat…. Each and every document of Rafale is with me.’ Now whether he wanted somebody to go and inform them in Delhi… or what… this didn’t know…. I didn’t understand….

Purported journalist: My God.

Purported minister: Just…. I called you to tell you this thing….

Purported journalist: And three hours of cabinet meeting like you know… literally heading nowhere, or was there… some kind of a thing?

Purported minister: Nothing… it was heading directionless… waste of time….

Purported journalist: Sir, tell me something…. why is this man… suddenly… so interested in having an Assembly session… that… (name of a post)?

Purported minister: Because he feels that the RSS will back him to become the chief minister.

Purported journalist: Aah, achchha, achchha, achchha…. He is on his own train.

Purported minister: He is on his own train. Somebody has said (a minister) is very clear… that he is not supporting. They have said that (another minister) is very clear… that he is not supporting.

Purported journalist: My God

Purported minister: But we need to have a meeting… because you need to communicate certain things to Delhi… what will be the outcome of this whole thing…

Purported journalist: Sir, you tell me na, sir… whenever you tell me… I am there…

Purported minister: I will tell you… just brief and keep… Because it will go in that direction only…. I am very, very clear.

Purported journalist: Okay…

Purported minister: I will tell…

Purported journalist: Sir, so you let me know… whenever you want to come down… I will… be there.

Purported minister: Okay, okay.

Purported journalist: Bye.