In a political face-off, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday slammed the Congress for its stance on national security issues questioning the 2019 surgical strikes and asking for proof.
“When the whole country is standing behind the army so that they can give a befitting reply to the terrorists, the Congress party is hurting the morale of the army,” alleged BJP National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla in a video message while accusing the Congress of “hurting” the morale of the armed forces.
Former Punjab Chief Minister and party Member of Parliament Charanjit Singh Channi, in a press conference on Friday, had raised doubts about the 2019 surgical strike by India on Pakistan.
“If a bomb explodes in our nation, would we not know? There was no surgical strike… I have always asked for proof [of surgical strike],” Mr Channi had questioned.
The said surgical strikes were carried out on September 29, 2016, following the deadly Uri terror attack by Pakistan-based group Jaish-e-Mohammed that killed 19 Indian soldiers.
“Congress has become the Pakistan Prast Party (PPP)……Earlier, Rahul Gandhi also demanded proof of the surgical strike…Robert Vadra and other Congress party leaders have given a clean chit to Pakistan and blamed Hindutva. They always match their tunes with Pakistan,” Poonawalla alleged while asserting: “When the whole country is standing behind the army so that they can give a befitting reply to the terrorists, the Congress party is hurting the morale of the army.”
Mr Channi’s remarks sparked an outrage across the BJP fraternity with party MP Sambit Patra also launching a scathing attack on the Congress, accusing the party of undermining national security and echoing narratives favourable to Pakistan.
Addressing the media, Mr Patra alleged that the Congress party’s conduct was more in line with Pakistan’s interests than India’s.
Mr Patra questioned: “Does this not demoralise our armed forces? Does it not shake the confidence of the people of India?” he asked.
“In the aftermath of the Pahalgam terrorist attack, when the nation is grieving, the Congress party is playing politics,” Mr Patra said.
Alleging that Congress was echoing Pakistani narratives Delhi Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa also accused the Congress and Charanjit Singh Channi of questioning the integrity of the Army and Air Force.
“Charanjit Singh Channi has said again that he does not believe that the surgical strike was carried out and that he wants proof,” Mr Sirsa said.
BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari also shared a post on his social media handle X: “Rahul Gandhi’s Congress continues to defend Pakistani terror! Now Charanjeet Singh Channi questions our forces. Why is Congress demoralising our forces at this critical time?”
Later, reacting to the growing criticism of his remarks, Mr Channi clarified that he had not sought any evidence of the strike.
He reiterated the Congress party’s support for national security measures. “We do not ask for proof and no evidence has been sought for it. The issue today is justice for the victims’ families. We are standing with the government,” he said.
Also, the Congress Working Committee, which addressed the Pahalgam terror attack in its recently held meeting adopted a resolution that while demanding strong action against Pakistan reaffirmed its demand for a time-bound accountability by the government into the serious lapses in security and intelligence that led to the terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 innocent citizens.