New Delhi, Aug 26(PTI): At a time when Rahul Gandhi has been leading Congress' charge against what he claims has been a suspicious deal with France for Rafale fighter jets, Anil Ambani has filed a Rs 500 crore defamation suit against party mouthpiece National Herald for an article published in the paper.

Labelling the article as 'libellous and derogatory', Anil Ambani's Reliance Group companies have taken on National Herald and filed two suits. The first is against Associated Journals Limited, the publisher of the National Herald, its editor in-charge and the author of the article. The second suit was filed Gujarat Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil seeking Rs 5,000 crore in damages for defamation.

The contentious article claimed that Anil Ambani had established Reliance Defence as a company ten days before PM Modi announced the Rafale deal. Reliance Aerostructure Ltd would go on to enter into a joiunt-venture with Dassault Aviation - the makers of Rafale jets. DA agreed to pump in 100 million Euros in the joint venture after India inked a deal to purchase 36 Rafale jets from France.

Congress has repeatedly claimed that the jets have been purchased at an escalated cost and has also questioned the joint venture between Anil Ambani's company and 'DA. The questions raised have been strongly taken on by the business tycoon who has said that the Congress is running a vilification campaign against him. He even said that the Centre has had no role in DA picking Reliance Group as a partner.

A number of defamation suits were previously filed against Congress leaders like Randeep Surjewala who have been at the forefront of the party's attack.