Surgical strikes: BJP invokes ‘national interest’ to slam sceptical opposition

BJP said the opposition parties were raising the issue of surgical strikes when armed forces continue to fight Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.

The BJP on Monday invoked ‘national interest’ to caution opposition parties against crossing the Laxman Rekha in their quest to target the ruling party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over surgical strikes in PoK. It said the AAP, Congress, SP and BSP were raising the issue of surgical strikes when armed forces continue to fight Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.

BJP said the opposition parties were raising the issue of surgical strikes when armed forces continue to fight Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. (PTI file photo)

“We have no objection if you oppose BJP or Modi. But if in your quest for opposing Modi, you are crossing the line where you are opposing the interest of the country.... They must introspect what political gains they are achieving by trading off the morale of armed forces,” BJP’s national secretary Sidharth Nath Singh said.

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Citing the comments of Pakistan NSA Sartaj Aziz that a breakthrough in ties with India was not possible under Modi, he said it was a language also used by Congress leaders as he referred to remarks of Mani Shankar Aiyar and Salman Khurshid. “Mindsets of Congress and Pakistan seem to be identical as far as Indo-Pak relation is concerned,” Singh alleged.

The BJP also took potshot at Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav for backing Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi over “khoon ki dalali” remark. Akhilesh said on Monday that Gandhi would have given it much thought before making that remark.

“Akhilesh’s bonhomie with Rahul can be struck by a surgical strike of his uncle Shipal Yadav and that is what the chief minister should be worried off,” Singh quipped.

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