The ruling BJP yesterday attacked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram for seeking proof of the ‘surgical strikes’ by the Indian army across the Indo-Pak border.
Addressing the media here, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that in such matters, the entire country and leaders across party lines are expected to speak in one voice, but Kejriwal’s comments were “unfortunate and painful”.
“Kejriwal has demanded that to negate the propaganda by the Pakistani media that no ‘surgical strike’ took place, the government of India should give proof of it. I want to ask him whether he believes in the capabilities of the Indian army or not,” the minister said.
“If he believes in the army’s capability, then how could he be affected by the false propaganda of Pakistani media and ask for the proof,” Prasad asked.
Prasad also urged the Aam Aadmi Party leader to “keep politics aside, and don’t do anything by which our armed forces could feel ashamed”.
The minister also attacked Chidambaram and demanded to know if the former finance minister’s comments were the official statement of the Congress party.
Chidambaram on Monday said it was up to the government to give proof of the ‘surgical strikes’ conducted on September 28 night in which the army destroyed seven terror launch pads in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
“We would like to ask Sonia Gandhi if that is the official position of the Congress party on this issue. If that is the case, then we would examine it and have some questions to ask from them,” Prasad said.
“If it is not the official line, then our request to Sonia Gandhi is to rein in the leaders of her party who always want to remain in the limelight,” he added.
Prasad said that India has successfully isolated Pakistan “diplomatically, strategically and internationally”.
“Today Pakistan stands completely isolated... This is a victory of our diplomacy. However, Kejriwal does not see all this and raises questions,” Prasad said.
He added that leaders should refrain from making comments which could “demoralise” the Indian armed forces. Earlier Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam termed the ‘surgical strikes’ as “fake” and accused the BJP of making political capital out of it.
“Every Indian wants surgical strikes against Pakistan but not a fake one to extract just political benefit by BJP. Politics over national interest,” Nirupam tweeted.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said the Congress fully supports the government on the ‘surgical strikes’, but the government should strongly rebut Pakistan’s denial of the Indian army action.
“We have no doubt about the surgical strikes, as claimed by the director general of military operations (DGMO) and the government of India. The Congress party from day one has fully supported the operation. And, we are proud of the fact that the Indian army has done an excellent job,” Singh told India Today news channel.
“The only problem is that a doubt is being created – and forget about the Pakistani media, whom we don’t give any credence – since even the United Nations official spokesperson is quoting UN observers in the Kashmir Valley saying they did not directly witness any surgical strikes,” he said.
“Now this has put us in a difficult situation. If an independent, autonomous body like the United Nations is making an official statement, then it becomes necessary for the government to counter it.”
The Congress leader said that it is for the government to decide how they would do it, but the government has to “strongly rebut the claim that no ‘surgical strike’ took place”.
Digvijaya also took exception to Nirupam’s remarks that the “strikes were fake”.
“I think he (Sanjay Nirupam) should not have called it fake. We have no doubts about the veracity of the strike,” Singh added.
Activists and supporters of the Aam Aadmi Party (APP) shout anti-Pakistan slogans during a protest as they try to march towards the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi yesterday.
