Bharat Jodo Yatra: Digvijaya Singh fans row with surgical strikes remark

New Delhi: Congress veteran and a key organiser of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Digvijaya Singh, questioned the Narendra Modi government’s surgical strikes against terror pods across the line of control, prompting the party’s general secretary for communications Jairam Ramesh to try to control the damage — both online and offline.

Addressing a public meeting in Jammu & Kashmir, Singh said, “They talk of surgical strikes. They claim to have killed so many people but no proof is given. They are ruling by peddling a bundle of lies.”

Singh has done this before, as have other leaders of the Congress including Rahul Gandhi, although their comments have only served to generate public outrage and allegations from the Bharatiya Janata Party that they are questioning the army. Expectedly, Ramesh was keen that Singh not elaborate on his comments, and a few hours after the rally, was caught on camera pushing a TV reporter’s microphone away from Singh, and even coming between the reporter and Singh, not once but thrice.

“Don’t divert,” Ramesh repeatedly said, in a bid to retain the focus on the yatra.

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Later, he also issued a statement distancing the party from Singh’s statement. “The views expressed by sr leader Digvijaya Singh are his own & do not reflect position of Congress. Surgical strikes were carried out before 2014 by UPA government. Congress has supported & will continue to support all military actions that are in the national interest,” tweeted Ramesh.

The BJP launched a blistering attack on the Congress accusing the principal Opposition party for trying to “break” the country. “It is essentially Bharat todo (break India) yatra”, BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said.

“India will not tolerate if they speak against armed forces. Rahul Gandhi and the Congress hate PM Modi but it seems they have been blinded by the hate to an extent that their dedication to the country has withered away,” Bhatia added, “Gandhi and the Congress do not have trust in our brave armed forces. They repeatedly raise questions and insult the citizens of India and our armed forces.”

Earlier too, the BJP brass including Prime Minister Narendra Modi had slammed the Congress for trying to question the authenticity of the surgical strike. In November 2018, PM Modi hit out at the Congress saying, “When the army carried out the surgical strike going into the enemy territory, the whole country felt proud but the Congress raised questions on it and demanded video proof. Will commandos carry cameras to provide proof?” His reference was to the 2016 strike following a terror attack at Uri.

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In February last year, Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao had said, “There is nothing wrong with Rahul Gandhi asking for proof of the surgical strikes. I am (also) asking. Let the Government of India show. It is their responsibility. There are apprehensions among people.”

Congress leaders privately admitted that Singh’s statement was “unnecessary” when the Bharat Jodo Yatra is in its last leg in J&K. “We are focused on the Bharat Jodo Yatra. There is no scope for raising such issues during the yatra,” said a leader who asked not to be named.

But the damage was done. Another BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala quipped, “Congress ka haath Pak ke saath.”