'Narendra Modi insulting Army by questioning UPA era surgical strikes'

Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for raising suspicion over the claims of the surgical strike during UPA regime and asserted that doing so is an insult to the Army.

Address a media briefing here, Gandhi said: "The Army, Air Force or Navy is not personal properties of Narendra Modi ji like he thinks. When he says that surgical strikes during UPA were done in video games then he is not insulting Congress, but the Army. These air strikes were done by the Army and we do not politicize the Army. The Prime Minister should not insult the Army."

On Thursday, Congress party claimed that six surgical strikes were conducted during former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's regime from 2004 to 2014.

Gandhi scion also stated that his party will keep on using the slogan of 'Chowkidar Chor hai.' He said: "The process (Rafale case) is going on in Supreme Court and I made a comment attributed to SC so I apologized. I did not apologize to BJP or Modi ji. 'Chowkidar Chor hai' will remain our slogan."

He also said the Congress's internal assessment is clearly saying that the BJP is losing.

"More than half of elections are over and there is a clear-cut feeling that Narendra Modi is losing. The main issues are jobs, farmers, corruption by the Prime Minister and attack on an institution. People of the country are asking questions. Unemployment is the biggest issue in front of the country. The country is asking that Narendra Modi had promised employment to 2 crore people, but today there is maximum unemployment in the country in 45 years. In Congress's manifesto, we have the first chapter on jobs whereas Narendra Modi is not speaking a word on jobs because he cannot speak over it. He cannot speak because he has no plan or vision on the issue," said Gandhi.

Congress president once again attacked the BJP on the issue of release of Masood Azhar and said, "Strictest of actions should be taken against Masood Azhar, but who sent him back to Pakistan? Who bowed down to terror and released him? Not the Congress, but it was the BJP Government."

The statements by Congress president Rahul Gandhi come at a time when the country is in middle of General Election and the voting for the fifth phase is scheduled for May 6. The results of all phases will be announced on May 23.

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