Cong govt treated Pak as victim state, Modi govt succeeded in isolating it: BJP

Hitting back at Congress vice- president Rahul Gandhi over his jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP said on Saturday that its government had succeeded in isolating Pakistan over terrorism, while the UPA treated it as a victim state and let it off lightly.

BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao accused the Congress and its vice president of “repeatedly betraying the country by pandering to anti-India elements” and cited their alleged questioning of surgical strikes to make his point.

“While the Manmohan Singh government treated Pakistan as a victim state and let it off lightly, Modi has succeeded in isolating and cornering Pakistan as ‘terroristan’ not just in the region but globally and in all international fora like the UN, G20, BRICS, ASEAN, etc.,” he said in a statement.

Rao referred to a number of incidents, including a Congress leader’s reference to the Army chief as a street thug and Gandhi’s alleged support to groups that had alleged raised anti-India slogans during the JNU controversy, and said these incidents are symptomatic of the Congress support for anti- India sentiments.

“The statements of Congress leaders eulogising and praising Burhan Wani and their solidarity for separatists clearly show their sympathies for pro-Pakistan elements. It is a tragedy that a party which ruled India for six decades has compromised with the terrorist groups that have bled India for the sake of appeasing a minority vote bank,” he said.

Congress leaders, the BJP spokesperson claimed, have abused Hindu religion with terms such as Hindu terror and saffron terror for appeasing minorities.

In no other country, terror is politicised as the Congress sought to do when in power, he said.

“Congress ka Haath, aatankivadiyon ke saath” (Hand of Congress is with terrorists) is a “more appropriate slogan” for the Congress, he said.

Earlier, Gandhi took a jibe at Modi, saying his “hugplomacy” with US President Donald Trump had failed in keeping 26/11 terror attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed under arrest in Pakistan.

Gandhi was referring to Modi’s bonhomie with US President Donald Trump during his last visit to the US when the two leaders were seen hugging each other several times.