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'Dancing in Goa': Over Gen Rawat's chopper crash, BJP targets Congress
Targetting Priyanka Gandhi's video of dancing with tribal women in Goa which was tweeted by the official handle of the Congress on December 10, Pushkar Singh Dhami said, “The day his last rites were performed, a political party was celebrating. They should be ashamed. After all, they live in this country.”
Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday targetted the Congress and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and said while the country was mourning the demise of the 12 defence personnel, including Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, the "opposition was celebrating". They should be ashamed of themselves; they were dancing in Goa during an election campaign, Dhami said targetting Priyanka Gandhi who recently took part in a fold dance performance of the tribal women of Morpirla village.
Without naming the Congress, Dhami said, "We have lost bravehearts of the country. The entire country is mourning. He (Gen Rawat) was very connected to Uttarakhand. He always used to think of Uttarakhand's development. The day his last rites were performed, a political party was celebrating. They should be ashamed. After all, they live in this country. They are in this country only physically, their soul is somewhere else. That's why they don't care," Dhami said.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi calls off birthday celebrations over CDS Rawat’s demise
"One party ruled this country for 60 years after Independence. And out of those 60 years, one family rules the country for 55 years. They never got connected with our soldiers. They lost wars on negotiation table which were won by our soldiers on the field," the chief minister said. Everyone must have seen the video on television, Dhami told the gathering.
On December 8, an IAF helicopter carrying 14 on board crashed in Coonoor in Tamil Nadu, resulting in the death of 13. IAF Group Captain Varun Singh is the only survivor of the crash. With major burns in the maximum part of his body, he is being treated at Command Hospital in Bengaluru.
As the nation bid a tearful adieu to its heroes, several state governments have taken action against offensive messages against General Rawat or any late defence personnel. Gujarat has arrested a 44-year-old man for allegedly making derogatory remarks about the death of Gen Rawat on his Facebook. In Rajasthan, several have been arrested for their social media posts on Gen Rawat. Uttarakhand and Karnataka governments have instructed the police to take immediate action if any such case is reported in the states.
Over the tragic chopper crash, the BJP has targeted Priyanka Gandhi's dancing video which was shared on Congress's official Twitter on December 10, two days after the crash. On December 10, the last rites of Gen Bipin Rawat and wife Madhulika Rawat were performed in Delhi. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi paid his last respect to Gen Rawat as the bodies were kept at their military residence.
Sharing the video of Priyanka Gandhi dancing in Goa, BJP IT head Amit Malviya tweeted, "When 26/11 happened, Rahul Gandhi was partying till wee hours of morning. Like brother, Priyanka Vadra too is dancing away in Goa while the entire nation is mourning and steeped in sadness as CDS Gen Bipin Rawat is being cremated. Can anything be more shameful than this?"
On the day of the tragic crash, Congress president Sonia Gandhi urged party workers to not celebrate her birthday which was on the next day, on December 9.
