BJP using surgical strikes as ”political fodder” for votes: Cong

June 28, 2018
New Delhi: The Congress today hit out at the BJP, accusing it of using the September 2016 surgical strikes as ”political fodder” for gathering vote.
In a statement here, Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala listed multiple strikes that took place before the Modi government assumed office.
Surgical Strike of September 28-29, 2016 was shamelessly politicized by the BJP for the March 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections, and the BJP went to the extent of organizing ‘Samman Samaroh’ of the then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar in Agra – Lucknow, he said.
Besides running a high voltage publicity campaign including innumerable press conferences/advertisements/ posters/hoardings, giving credit of Surgical Strikes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said.
Infact, BJP trashed every tradition of restraint by belligerent chest thumping to claim credit of Surgical Strike with an eye on political and electoral gain, Surjewala said.
” None less than the BJP President Amit Shah dishonored the 70 year long history of bravery and sacrifice of our Armed Forces by making a disgraceful statement on October 7, 2016 in a press conference at Delhi that ‘Indian Army had crossed the LoC for the first time in 68 years’, besides publically declaring that BJP will encash the surgical strike in the entire country,” the Congress leader said.
Mr Surjewala’s comments come a day after the footage of Army’s surgical strikes in September 2016 was released.