Amit Shah slams Rahul’s remarks, says will take issue to people

New Delhi:Asserting that BJP will go to the people over the issue of surgical strikes, BJP President Amit Shah today lashed out at Rahul Gandhi over his ‘dalali’ barb at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of “crossing all limits” and “insulting” the army’s bravery.

He said Congress was expressing Pakistan’s despair instead of joining people’s enthusiasm over surgical strikes.

Even as he insisted that the strikes should not be politicised, he made it clear that BJP will go to people over the issue to “boost the army’s morale” and that the strikes underline the Modi government’s zero tolerance policy against terrorism as well as its strong political will to take hard decisions.

With assembly elections due in several states, including Uttar Pradesh, the issue can come handy for the party.

Addressing a press conference, Shah also took potshots at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal saying he was the first one to cast doubts over the occurrence of surgical strikes and was trending on Twitter in Pakistan.

“#PakStandsWithKejriwal was a top trend in Pakistan. It itself shows who are benefiting from his efforts,” he said.

He then went on to launch a blistering attack on the Congress vice president. “By making ‘khoon ki dalali’ remarks, Rahul Gandhi has crossed all limits. It was an extreme. By choosing such words, he insulted the bravery of our soldiers and 125 crore people of India.”

Raking up a number of alleged scams under the UPA government, he said wryly that ‘dalali’ word is on Gandhi’s mind as his party’s government did ‘dalali’ in Bofors, Embraer, 2G and coal block allocation deals but the strikes were not an occasion for using such a term.

Suggesting that those casting doubts on the authenticity of surgical strikes are “anti-India” leaders, he said, “The whole country, BJP and its government are standing firmly behind the army. We do not believe in the comments of anti-India leaders. We believe in the army’s bullets.”

Rejecting the charge that BJP was using these strikes for political benefits, he said none of the top party leaders made any statement and it was the DGMO and not the Defence Minister who addressed a press conference to announce the army’s cross- border attacks.

If a local level politician says or does something, it should not be seen as the party’s stand, he said, adding that the whole country is happy and enthused by the development and so are BJP workers.

“The question is why you (Congress) are not happy, enthusiastic and proud of this. It shows there is some fundamental flaw in you…. Instead of joining people in their happiness, Congress party is expressing Pakistan’s despair.”

Asked if his party will make it an issue in the state elections, Shah treaded cautiously saying, “We do not want to politicise it but we will definitely take it to the people because boosting the army’s morale is the duty of every responsible political party.

“These surgical strikes announce the Modi government’s zero tolerance policy against terrorism… The achievement is of the army. The strong political will is of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”

Gandhi’s comments have angered the people, he said.

Dismissing claims of Congress leaders that such surgical strikes have happened earlier too, Shah said “for the first time since independence soldiers crossed the LoC to destroy launch pads of terrorists”.

Former army officers have said it never happened earlier, he added.

Targeting Gandhi, Shah said Congress and he in particular dislike Modi and recalled expressions like ‘maut ke saudagar’ (death merchant) and ‘zahar ki kheti’ (sowing poison) used by his mother and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi against Modi.

BJP won two-third majority in Gujarat after ‘maut ke saudagar’ remarks and got a majority after ‘zahar ki kheti’ comments, he said, wondering what will be the fallout of ‘khoon ki dalali’ barb.

Hitting back at Congress, he said if one reads the 1971 newspapers following the Indo-Pak war, which led to Pakistan’s military defeat and creation of Bangladesh, one will know the comments made by its leaders. Indira Gandhi was the then Prime Minister.

“His party condemns all attempts to give political colour to the surgical strikes. Casting doubts over it is most unfortunate,” he insisted.

He also dismissed Gandhi’s tweets today in which he fully supported surgical strikes, saying nobody believes him.

“Dalali is done on products. Can it be done on soldiers’ blood? Can it have a price? They destroyed the launchpads of those terror groups whose operatives your government (UPA) tried to save through a legal process,” he alleged, without elaborating.

The kind of commotion seen in Pakistan and its government’s decision to call a Special Session indicate what happened, he said to a question over Pakistan’s claim that no such strikes occurred.

The Modi government, he said, has made it clear that incidents like beheading of Hemraj, an army solider killed in 2013 by Pak terrorists, will not happen now.

Rahul Gandhi, he said in a dig, should concentrate on “potato factory”, a reference to his comments to farmers that they want “potato factories” but as an opposition leader he cannot take a decision.

Shah also appeared to dismiss demands for releasing video evidence, saying “who is seeking them”. BJP has said any such demand compromises national security. .

Congress should make it clear if Rahul Gandhi’s comments are the party’s views or those expressed by its leaders in the all-party meeting after the strikes in which they had supported the government, Shah said. “The Congress president too should make a clarification.”

Asked about Modi’s decision to travel to Lucknow on Dussehra as prime ministers have traditionally stayed in the national capital on the occasion, he said the Prime Minister can go to any part of country. “His health is also good,” he said.

He also praised the media for highlighting the army’s competence and bravery and said investigative stories in this regard have ended the suspicion some people were trying to create over the strikes.

PTI