A AKHTER / AMN
The Congress party today attacked the Narendra Modi government for what it called ‘misleading’ the nation that ‘surgical strikes’ against Pakistan never took before the recent one.
This comes a day after Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar reportedly informed parliament’s Standing Committee on External Affairs about surgical strikes having taken place in the past as well.
Asserting that the Congress never doubted the September 28-29 surgical strikes across the Line of Control, party spokesperson Dr.Abhishek Manu Singhvi questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the BJP’s continued bid to politcise the defence force’s action.
“The Congress party has always been behind the nation and the Army in the initiative that has been colloquially termed as surgical strikes. While we, as a Party, have never questioned the surgical strikes, we have also reiterated that it shouldn’t be politicised” he said adding that there have been Ministers of the Narendra Modi Government, like the Defence Minister, who have stated in public that this is the first time such strikes have happened. A fact which has been proven false by a Former Chief of Army Staff and, more recently, by Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar.
“The government shouldn’t deny that this (surgical strikes) happened before. While we support the operation, they should be magnanimous enough to say that this is not the first time that this country has conducted these strikes,” Singhvi told the media here.
“The Foreign Secretary in precise terms has said that surgical strikes have happened before. We have no reason to not believe his precise assertions,” said Singhvi referring to the parliamentary panel being informed about previous surgical strikes-like military operations.
As has been stated, there were similar strategic strikes conducted by the Indian armed forces in the past, with the full support of the then Governments.
The manner in which the BJP Ministers are prevaricating on this issue is against national interest. Dr Singhvi said, “The Government shouldn’t deny that these strikes haven’t happened before and should be magnanimous in saying that this is not the first time that these strikes have happened.”
“Does it look good for the Defence Minister of this country to be directly contradicted by none other than the Foreign Secretary?”
“Which one of them is prevaricating? The Foreign Secretary has spoken in measured and precise terms,” said Singhvi.
This kind of prevaricating only to score brownie points is unfortunate because it paints the nation in a bad light, he said.
“While the Prime Minister joins us in saying this issue shouldn’t be politicised, it’s happening under his nose by his colleagues,” the Congress spokesperson said.
“Why has not the Prime Minister mentioned even once about the posters dotting Uttar Pradesh, which politicise these strikes,” Singhvi asked.
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Surgical strikes: When PM Modi says ‘don’t politicise’, he means exactly the opposite
Addressing a press conference, Congress spokesperson Dr Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, “There are many issues which reflect how this Government has a genetic predisposition to exaggeration, distortion & hypocrisy.”
The Prime Minister has also joined the Congress in saying that the strikes should not be politicised. But, everyday his party colleagues are raking up this issue. There are billboards by the BJP springing up across Uttar Pradesh, which is trying to gain political mileage out of these attacks.