A day after Rahul Gandhi launched an attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over alleged politicisation of Army's surgical strikes, accusing him of doing "dalali" (trade) over the blood shed by Indian soldiers, BJP President Amit Shah on Friday hit back stating the the comments were an insult to the Army and its valour.
At a press conference, Shah said that some political parties, including Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP, have raised questions of the surgical strikes.
“The government did not try to politicize the surgical strikes. Rahul Gandhi crossed all limits with his ‘khoon ki dalali’ remark and has insulted the Indian Army. It shows the mindset of the Congress,” he said.
He went on to question the Congress stating that from Bofors to Coal and 2G scam, it was the Congress involved in “dalali” or profiteering. “The word ‘dalali’ is present in their (Congress’) conscience," Shah said.
LIVE on #Periscope: Shri @AmitShah addressing press conference at BJP HQ. https://t.co/sj3FLVak2t
— BJP (@BJP4India) October 7, 2016
Shah raked up other barbs made by Sonia Gandhi in the past including “maut ka saudagar” (merchant of death) and “zeher ki kheti” (sowing seeds of poison) comments.
“The victory is of the Army and not of the party. Why can’t the Congress be proud of the Army?” he asked.
Responding to a question on the doubts raised over the validity of the surgical strikes, he said why would they call a special session if it were not so. “Also, why has the Prime Minister of Pakistan, who goes to Islamabad just once or twice a month, now set up camp there?”
He added, “We achieved what three generations of Congress could not.” Taking a jibe at Rahul Gandhi while answering a question on his Kisan Yatra, Shah said that “his (Gandhi's) understanding of kisani (agriculture) is limited to potato factories.”
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also condemned Gandhi's comments stating that the Army does not belong to any party, and needs the backing of the nation. "There's no need to drag the Army into domestic politics.
"The more he grows, the more he immatures," he said about Gandhi.
"It was a preemptive strike against terrorism," Jaitley said speaking to Times Now. "Cant allow a situation where Pathankot happens, Uri happens and it becomes business as usual. And therefore a time had come when India had to redraw the line."
He also said that while India has fought several wars in the past, the Army or the government was never before asked to show proof of their actions.
Addressing a rally at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi at the end of his Kisan Yatra across poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, Rahul Gandhi on Thursday also accused Modi of not fulfilling his promises made to the people during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
Modi, he said, was taking political mileage from the surgical strikes the Army conducted in Pakistani territory and from the sacrifices of soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir.
WATCH: You are doing 'Dalali' of their(Jawans) blood: Rahul Gandhi to PM Modi pic.twitter.com/9FyidaF6uj
— ANI (@ANI_news) October 6, 2016
"Unki dalali kar rahe ho... Yeh bilkul ghalat hai... Hindustan ki sena ne Hindustan ka kaam kiya, aap apna kaam keejiye... (You are trading on them. This is totally wrong... The Indian Army did its job for India, you do your work)," he thundered.
(Agency inputs)