BJP Explains Rafale Deal With Lock Analogy Video. Congress Adds A Twist

The back and forth between the Congress and the BJP over the Rafale fighter jet deal has spilled over to social media. Both parties have released their Rafale for dummies video that attempt to break down the complicated deal that has been under negotiations for years to make their point.

The first 'explainer' came from the BJP which put out a video days after Congress president Rahul Gandhi signalled that his party would showcase the 2016 deal for 36 fighter jets to underline corruption in the NDA government. The Congress says the fighter jets were "overpriced"; government sources suggest the higher price is on account of some India specific upgrades.

The video featured award winning actor Pallavi Joshi. In a 139-second monologue, Ms Joshi gave an example of how the former secretary of her housing society failed to purchase safety locks from a French company despite negotiating for a decade.

So when she became the secretary of the society, she renegotiated the entire deal and hammered down the price. But of what use are the password-protected locks unless you get a video door-phone, she argued. But she still got the package at a cheaper cost. This is what the row over the Rafale deal was all about.

Soon enough, the Congress hit back with a similar video. Using the same analogy of locks for the housing society with a twist, the Congress said, this was the "real" explanation.

In this one, the woman says the watchman of the building, an apparent reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, took it upon himself to replace the buildings but bought only one-fourth of the locks that had been ordered.

She went on to talk about how the watchman got a sweet deal for his friend who was contracted to make the keys for the locks.

"When we asked the watchman about the expenses, he said it is a ''secret''. But when we spoke to the French company, they said the deal is done at three times higher rates," she said.

Priyanka Chaturvedi of the Congress later waded into the video war, with a third video of her own to target PM Narendra Modi, who her party says, had unilaterally taken the decision to buy the Rafale fighter jets on his own without consulting anyone else.