Surgical strike video: Politics begins, Congress-BJP in war of words

Congress party Thursday hit out at the Narendra Modi government for using the armed forces for political and electoral gains. This, after some video footage of the September 2016 surgical strikes were aired on media channels Wednesday evening.

“Let the ruling dispensation remember that the blood and sacrifice of our brave soldiers cannot become a political vote garnering tool for the Modi Government and the BJP,” Congress’s chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said.

Surjewala also questioned what impact the surgical strikes had if terror attacks continued post 2016 that resulted in the killing of at least 146 soldiers.

“On one hand, Modi government and the BJP indulge in seeking credit for the sacrifice of our soldiers and surgical strike, yet the government has utterly failed to provide the direction, the vision and the policy for dealing with Pakistan and checkmating Pak-sponsored terrorism. No wonder apathy and incapacity of the Modi government has resulted in the sacrifice of 146 soldiers, more than 1600 ceasefire violations by Pakistan and 79 terrorist attacks post September 2016,” he said.

“Every time Modi government fail in their promises, why do they use the sacrifice of our soldiers for their political gains? India is proud that Indian Army had successfully conducted surgical strikes many times in last two decades, especially after 2000. Post Surgical Strike of Sept 2016 against terrorists in Pakistan, then Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhiand then Congress VP, Shri Rahul Gandhi had unequivocally supported the armed forces and the Government,” Surjewala said, adding that even during former prime minister Manmohan Singh surgical strikes were conducted but not publicised.

Union Minister Ravi Shankar criticised Congress making such statement which is only “demoralises the Army”.

“The people who will be most happy with the statement of Congress leaders are the terrorists in Pakistan. Congress will get a certificate from some terrorist organisations of Pakistan just like Ghulam Nabi Azad got the certificate from Lashkar-e-Taiba,” Prasad said.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju also hit out at Congress and said that the party’s language was of those who want to divide the country. “How shameful that the Congress party was first asking for proof of surgical strike from the Army and now they are doing politics over it,” Rijiju said.

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy also defended the Governments decision to make the surgical strikes video public and asked how is it exploiting people’s sentiments in BJP’s favour.

“Just because they (Congress) can’t produce such videos, because there’s none, we also shouldn’t do it? If you did it, why did you hide it? It’s just like the old saying ‘grapes are sour’,” he said.

Senior Congress leader and former Union minister Salman Kurshid has also criticised the Modi government.

“PM Modi is looking for appreciation for the surgical strike. Well here it is: super execution of clever plan. Now, how about putting an end to terror strikes and ceasefire violations?” he said in a tweet.