Cong defends statement by Rahul, says BJP should stop politicising surgical strikes

07 October, New Delhi

Within hours after the ruling BJP launching a scathing attack on Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi for his ‘khoon ki dalali’ remarks at a rally, the Principal Opposition party Friday vehemently defended their leader and reiterated its earlier stance on the surgical strikes carried by the Army in Pakistan occupied Kashmir(PoK).

”We have been supporting the Army..,..We fully stand behind the army and the establishment at the Centre on the strikes, but, we would raise questions, if the establishment resorts to capitalising politically, the success of the army”, the party spokesman and former Union Minister Kapil Sibal and AICC Media incharge Randeep Singh Surjewala said.

Addressing a joint press conference at the partyn headquarters here Mr Sibal and Surjewala said,”This is what our vice president Mr Gandhi did yesterday..,..the spirit behind his statement is that the Government should not draw political capital out of the surgical strikes..,..People of the country know the spirit behind what he said.”

Reiterating that the Congress was fully behind the army and the establishment over the issue of the surgical strikes carried out in Pakistan occupied Kashmir, Mr Sibal said,”In his first reaction after the strikes, Gandhi had said that for the first time Prime Minister Narendra modi had done something behoving the post of the PM.

However, the days after the surgical strikes, we have seen the members of the ruling party trying to take capital out of the army’s action”.”If someone takes political capital out of the deeds and success of the Army, we will have to raise questions.. ,..It is something that is not good for the country.., therefore they should desist from their attempts”.