Rename INC to Anti National Congress: BJP slams Cong after Channi questions surgical strike

New Delhi, May 3 (IANS) In a controversy over India's military operations, the BJP National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla launched a scathing attack on the Congress accusing them of repeatedly insulting the Indian armed forces for political gains after former Punjab Chief Minister, Charanjit Singh Channi, raised doubts about the surgical strike conducted by the Indian Army.

Speaking to IANS, Poonawalla said, “Today, the Congress party should be renamed from INC to ANC, Anti National Congress. The only identity of the Congress is to continuously insult the Army, 'Sena ka karo lagataar apmaan, Pakistan ko bulao apna bhaijaan (insult the Army continuously and call Pakistan your brother) '. In the all-party meeting, they say they stand with the nation and the Army and demand strict action. But the moment they step out, they let vote bank politics override national interest.”

He claimed, “One after another, their leaders give clean chits to Pakistan, advocate for talks with them, and in doing so, weaken the morale of our armed forces by indirectly endorsing Islamic jihad."

"The nearest leader to Rahul Gandhi, Channi, always asks for proof that surgical strikes happened. This is the Congress' mentality, they trust terrorism and countries that promote terrorism,” he professed.

Poonawalla also cited statements from other Congress leaders to stress what he termed a 'consistent pattern' of disrespect towards the military.

“Saifuddin says Pakistan can be trusted, Siddaramaiah says strong action should not be taken against Pakistan. This is the same Congress party that did not give the Army Rafale jets and did not build a National War Memorial,” he said.

The row began after Charanjit Singh Channi questioned the credibility of India’s military actions during the surgical strike, saying, “A bomb could drop in our own country and we wouldn’t even know? They say we carried out surgical strikes in Pakistan, but nothing happened, no one saw anything, no one came to know.”

Channi's remarks have sparked outrage from BJP leaders, who accuse the Congress party of undermining national security and demoralising the armed forces for the sake of vote bank politics.

--IANS

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