The BJP on Thursday described Congress as a “fringe party” which is questioning “surgical strikes” carried out against Pakistan in 2016 across the border and doubting the commitment and courage of the forces.
Addressing a Press conference, senior BJP leader and Union law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad asked the Congress whether it doubted the authenticity of the video on surgical strikes being shown in the media and should tell whether the strikes were a right step or not.
Prasad rejected the Congress’ allegation that the Modi Government is politicising the surgical strikes, saying if the BJP wanted to draw political mileage then a video purportedly showing the Army’s operation in PoK would have been released during the polls in States like Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat or Karnataka.
“Where are the elections now IJ”, he asked. Prasad said the Army officers connected with the surgical strikes have confirmed the video’s authenticity. Attacking Congress leaders for making Pakistan and terrorists there happy by making comments against Army and Army chief, the BJP leader said while one Congress leader Gulam Nabi Azad has gone into a silent mode after saying that Army killing more civilians than terrorists another Congress leader Saif Uddin Soz started making comments inimical to the interests of national integrity. Soz, in his recently released book, has reportedly called for the independence of Kashmir.
The Congress has become so desperate with its repeated losses in elections that it has been repeatedly questioning the commitment and courage of our armed forces, Prasad claimed.
“It is boosting the morale of terrorists. To what extent the Congress will stoop for votes,” he said. “It is clear from its repeated comments that the Congress is no longer a mainstream party but a fringe player, a fringe party in the national politics,” Prasad said.
The Minister condemned Congress comparing a global leader like Prime Minister Narendra Modi with an oppressive Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, calling it a new low in Congress politics and a reflection on a “desperate and defeated Congress.”
Senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley had last week compared former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi with German dictator Adolf Hitler.