Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday distanced himself from Digvijaya Singh’s contentious statement in Parliament on the Indian military forces’ “surgical strikes’ against terrorists in 2016 and the 2019 Pulwama terror incident, calling them ‘Digvijaya’s personal opinions.
Gandhi’s remarks reflected those of his party; Jairam Ramesh stated that the remark was “his (Singh’s) own” and did not reflect the Congress’ views.
“We have faith in our armed forces, and they perform admirably… our position on surgical strikes is extremely clear, and it was expressed in (the) Congress Working Committee…” Today, Rahul Gandhi spoke to the media.
The Lok Sabha MP is currently in the final stage of the Congress ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra,’ an attempt to reconnect with people ahead of state elections this year and the 2024 national election.
He was accompanied by new party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, who joined the Congress’ firefighting efforts and stated that the party has ‘clarified (its) stands with the Army’.
“We have always worked for the country and will continue to do so. We have a great deal of respect for our military, “Kharge, who took over for Sonia Gandhi, stated.
Digvijaya Singh questioned the Narendra Modi government’s’surgical strikes’ across the Line of Control on Monday.
The former Madhya Pradesh chief minister accused the Modi government of spreading misinformation during a public rally in Jammu & Kashmir.
“They’re talking about surgical strikes. They claim to have killed a large number of people, but no proof is provided. They rule by peddling a slew of lies, “Singh stated.
The Bharatiya Janata Party reacted angrily, claiming that Congress had insulted the armed services because of its “hatred” for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Shehzad Poonawalla, a BJP spokeswoman, tweeted, “Congress questions the ‘surgical strike’ once more, echoing Pakistan’s narrative on Pulwama. Digvijaya Singh even blamed India for the terrorist attacks of 26/11; Rahul G said,’sena ki pitai ho gayi’… disgraceful.”
The Congress quickly distanced itself from Digvijaya Singh’s remarks, claiming that they “do not reflect the position” of the party.
“Before 2014, the (Congress-led) UPA government carried out surgical strikes. All military activities in the national interest have been and will continue to be endorsed by Congress.”
Digvijaya Singh emphasized earlier today, despite the outpouring of fury and statements from his own party, that he has the highest admiration for the country’s warriors.
