On the culmination of the Deoria to Delhi yatra, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the PM is doing “dalali” over the blood of soldiers and playing politics. Incidentally, he had praised the PM over the surgical strikes during his yatra.
“Humare jawan hain, jinho ne khoon diya hai, jinho ne surgical strike kiya, unke khoon ke peeche aap chhupe huye ho, unki aap dalali kar he ho,” Mr Gandhi said.
However, the PM has already sent a strong message to his government and party that there should be no chest thumping and no out-of-turn speaking of the cross-border strikes. The posters of the BJP celebrating the surgical strikes have started appearing in several towns of Uttar Pradesh. Defence minister Manohar Parrikar was also felicitated in Agra on the surgical strikes.
The Congress had officially stated that they have no doubt on the statement of the DGMO regarding cross-border strikes. They also added that during the UPA government, too, there had been three surgical strikes but the Congress never gained political capital out of it. It also urged the government to stop politicising the sacrifices and bravery of Indian soldiers.
The Kisan Yatra of Mr Gandhi came to an end on Thursday after covering around 20 meeting points. On Thursday, he visited Raj Ghat, samadhi of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri and Bhairon Mandir, before heading towards the grand finale at Sansad marg. The main thrust of the yatra was to highlight the farmers’ woes.
Meanwhile, the BJP took no time in hitting back. “Mr Gandhi has made very unfortunate and condemnable remarks and has insulted the martyrs. He is frustrated and his remarks are a proof that his party has a long association with dalali whether it was dalali in defence equipment purchase or the coal blocks allocation or spectrum allocation or the CWG or the VIP chopper deal. Infact, it was heights of taking commission when they took funds from someone who has inspired terrorists. Rahul Gandhi himself is out on a bail in a dalali case,” said BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma.
Now the fear of the BJP making this a political issue in the upcoming Assembly elections in Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh also looms over the Congress.
Sources say it might become the “Maut ka Saudagar” moment for Mr Gandhi.
