Stop shedding crocodile tears for India’s soldiers: BJP to Rahul Gandhi | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Stop shedding crocodile tears for India’s soldiers: BJP to Rahul Gandhi

ByANI, New Delhi
Nov 08, 2016 09:43 AM IST

Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson GVL Narsimha Rao on Tuesday lashed out at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for “shedding crocodile tears” for India’s armed forces, and cautioned him that the whole country was aware that he cannot be trusted.

Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson GVL Narsimha Rao on Tuesday lashed out at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for “shedding crocodile tears” for India’s armed forces, and cautioned him that the whole country was aware that he cannot be trusted.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi at the Congress Working Committee meeting at AICC HQ in New Delhi on Monday.(PTI)
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi at the Congress Working Committee meeting at AICC HQ in New Delhi on Monday.(PTI)

“After having deprived soldiers of one rank, one pension (OROP) for over four decades, for 10 years the Congress party was in power between 2004 and 2014, it was Rahul Gandhi who remote-controlled the Manmohan Singh government,” Rao said. “They made an election promise in 2004 in their manifesto, but they did not spend one penny on implementing OROP when they were in office, and today, for the Congress party to shed crocodile tears for soldiers, this is not going to impress anyone.”

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

Read | Govt seeks to silence those who disagree with it: Rahul at Congress meet

“The entire country has contempt for the Congress party and the whole country realises that Rahul Gandhi is not a leader that can be trusted, he is not a leader who understands politics, who can comment maturely. Rahul Gandhi’s desperate attempt to be taken seriously is falling on deaf ears; with every statement, he is proving to be a completely unsuitable leader for the Congress party,” he added.

Rao’s comments came a day after Rahul chaired a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CEC) in the absence of party president Sonia Gandhi, and chose the occasion to describe Prime Minister Narendra Modi as an individual who was “power-obsessed”. He also called on the gathering to expose the Centre’s failures during the winter session of parliament beginning next week.

Read | Rahul Gandhi likely to take over as Congress chief after party leaders’ appeal

Rahul asserted that democracy under the present dispensation was going through one of its darkest hours and accused the government of silencing those disagreeing with it.

“Hiding behind the cloak of national security, civil society is being intimidated for asking questions. Television channels are being punished and being asked to shut down. The opposition is being arrested for holding the government to account. All attempts by this government to suppress our fundamental freedoms by abusing state power will only strengthen our resolve to defeat such dangerous designs,” he said.

Listing out a range of failures of the NDA Government, he emphasised that the Centre was hiding behind numbers that have been widely doubted and questioned.

“Selectively chosen corporates are favoured, not the aam aadmi (common man). Youth, even those who have a good education, face the spectre of unemployment. Famers’ suicides and agrarian unrest have increased to astonishing levels,” he claimed.

Also Read | Don’t blame farmers for Delhi’s pollution: Rahul to Kejriwal, Modi

He said the Centre has swung from one extreme to another in dealing with Islamabad and issues concerning Jammu and Kashmir.

Pointing out that Indian soldiers have suffered the highest causalities in decades under the NDA dispensation, the Congress vice president maintained that the nation’s armed forces are being cruelly rewarded by a callous government.

“With state elections due in the coming months, we can safely expect the Modi government to launch a campaign of disinformation and polarization. They will exploit caste and religious fault lines. We must anticipate and neutralise such devious strategies,” he added.

The “comprehensive failure” of the Modi government must be highlighted, he said.

Unveiling Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

Get Current Updates on India News, Election 2024, Arvind Kejriwal News Live, Bihar Board 10th Result 2024 Live along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On