New Delhi : After Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s vitriolic” dalali” barb at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah did not let his supporters down and at a media briefing came all guns blazing charging that Gandhi had “crossed all limits” and “insulted” the army”s bravery.
Shah said:”The question is why you (Congress) are not happy, enthusiastic and proud of this. It shows there is some fundamental flaw in you…. Instead of joining people in their happiness, Congress party is expressing Pakistan”s despair.”
Asked if his party will make it an issue in the state elections, Shah treaded cautiously saying, “We do not want to politicise it but we will definitely take it to the people because boosting the army”s morale is the duty of every responsible political party.
“These surgical strikes announce the Modi government”s zero tolerance policy against terrorism… The achievement is of the army. The strong political will is of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”
“Why make such a big deal of it if some tehsil president of the BJP has put up a few posters. This is the people’s expression of joy,” said Shah.
In a bitter personal attack on Rahul, he said: “By making ”khoon ki dalali” remarks, Rahul has crossed all limits. It was an extreme. By choosing such words, he insulted the bravery of our soldiers and 125 crore people of India.”
Raking up a number of alleged scams under the UPA government, he said wryly that ”dalali” word is on Gandhi”s mind as his party”s government did ”dalali” in Bofors, Embraer, 2G and coal block allocation deals but the strikes were not an occasion for using such a
term. “Inke mool mein kuch dosh hai,”, he said later clarifying that he was referring to Congress party.
Suggesting that those casting doubts on the authenticity of surgical strikes are “anti-India” leaders, he said, “The whole country, BJP and its government are standing firmly behind the army. We do not believe in the comments of anti-India leaders. We believe in the army”s bullets.”
Rejecting the charge that BJP was using these strikes for political benefits, he said none of the top party leaders made any statement and it was the DGMO and not the Defence Minister who addressed a press conference to announce the army”s cross-border attacks.
