The Congress on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “using the Army as a tool for politicking” as it condemned the remarks by him pertaining to the killing of two youths in Jammu & Kashmir in an action by security forces.
“It is deeply regrettable that none other than the head of the Government has used the Army as canon fodder during a political campaign in a sensitive State like J&K. Even remotely bringing the Army into political discourse is not only condemnable but dangerous,” Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said at the AICC briefing.
The party on Tuesday had complained to the Election Commission against the Prime Minister, accusing him of dragging the Army into political controversy in violation of the Model Code of Conduct during campaigning for polls in J&K.
At a rally in Srinagar on Monday, Modi had said that for the first time in 30 years, a Government had acted against Armymen responsible for the killing of two innocent teenagers in an incident which took place recently in Budgam.
“Using Army as a tool for politicking is deplorable. Even the political point which the Modi Government is making is incorrect, false and baseless. Between 2004 and 2014, Army had held numerous inquiries and even conducted court martial when required,” Singhvi said.
“Unfortunately, BJP and the PM believe that the world began, became virtuous and commendable, after their Govern-ment came to power. That is a mindset which requires a complete reset,” Singhvi said, rejecting Modi’s public claim.
Holding that the biggest guarantee for democracy has been an “anonymous” Army that does not take part in the political discourse nor is dragged into it by the political system, Singhvi charged that the PM’s remarks were “crass politics”.