The Congress on Thursday accused the Modi government of leveraging the September 2016 surgical strikes across the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir as “political fodder” to garner votes and listed similar multiple strikes carried out over last two decades to assert that such action was not the first of its kind though they were not “politicised” earlier.

This comes a day after a video of the surgical strike by Indian Army was reportedly released. Congress has said that the blood and sacrifice of the country’s brave soldiers cannot be used as a toool to garner political vote.

Addressing a press conference, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that while on the one hand the Modi government is seeking credit for the sacrifice and valour of the armed forces, on the other, it has failed to provide direction and vision to deal with Pakistan.

Talking to reporters in New Dehli, Surjewala said BJP President Amit Shah had “dishonoured” the 70-year-long history of bravery and sacrifice of the armed forces by making a “disgraceful statement” on October 7, 2016 that “Indian Army had crossed the LoC for the first time in 68 years”.

Surjewala said that conducting strategic surgical strikes “with utmost precision and effective penetration” at different times in last two decades has been characteristic of the grit and determination of the Indian Armed Forces. He listed multiple “surgical strikes” prior to those conducted in September 2016 after the Narendra Modi government assumed office.

“We are proud that our forces have successfully conducted multiple surgical strikes over last two decades, particularly post the year 2000 — January 21, 2000 (Nadala Enclave, across the Neelam River); September 18, 2003 (Baroh Sector, Poonch); June 19, 2008 (Bhattal Sector, Poonch); August 30 to September 1, 2011 (Sharda Sector, across Neelam River Valley in Kel); January 6, 2013 (Sawan Patra Checkpost); July 27 to 28, 2013 ( Nazapir Sector); August 6, 2013 (Neelam Valley); January 14, 2014; September 28 to 29, 2016,” he said.

He also accused the government of meting out step-motherly treatment to the armed forces by not providing them with state-of-the-art equipment and slashing their budgetary allocation.

Let the ruling dispensation remember that the blood and sacrifice of our brave soldiers cannot become a political vote garnering tool for the Modi Government and the BJP, he told reporters, alleging that the surgical strikes of September 28 and 29, 2016 were shamelessly politicised by the BJP for the March 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

Surjewala said the “apathy” and “incapacity” of the Modi Government has resulted in the sacrifice of 146 soldiers, more than 1,600 ceasefire violations by Pakistan and 79 terrorist attacks post September 2016.

Surjewala also asked whether former prime ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh were wrong when they used surgical strikes for strategic and security purposes without any chest thumping.

By making public the videos of the strikes, has the government not somehow endangered lives of armed forces participating in them as also civilians living along the Line of Control, he asked.

(With inputs from agencies)