The Opposition Congress is also gearing up to counter the BJP's attempts to cash in on the strikes as an election plank.
Even as the political face-off over the surgical strikes got fiercer, the BJP has indicated that it will take the issue – "army's achievements" and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "political will"-- to the people as key states like Uttar Pradesh and Punjab head for elections early next year.
The Opposition Congress is also gearing up to counter the BJP's attempts to cash in on the strikes as an election plank. Three press conferences — those of Amit Shah, Congress leader Kapil Sibal, and Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad — were held in the capital with a gap of two hours between each one, as charges and counter-charges flew between the Congress and the BJP through the day.
A day after Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's khoon ki dalali remarks, BJP chief Amit Shah held a press conference, where he pointed out that it was not the defence minister but the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) who had briefed reporters to keep the issue away from politics. He said all parties should refrain from politicising the issue.
When asked if it would be an issue in the UP elections, Shah said: "We will go to the people with the issue because every responsible party should boost the morale of the army...the achievement is the army's, but the determination and political intent is Prime Minister Modi's." Shah added that it showed the Modi government's "zero tolerance" policy towards terrorism.
The Opposition's tirade seems to have given the BJP a plank to openly take up the issue with the electorate, breaking the silence of its leaders. Modi has repeatedly conveyed to his council of ministers to exercise restraint in making chest-thumping statements after the surgical strikes, but the issue could become a major plank for the party in the UP elections.
Shah began his interaction with the media by condemning political parties which were questioning the surgical strikes saying they were insulting the army. He first took on Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, saying his doubts over the surgical strikes was trending on social media in Pakistan.
Shah then retaliated to Rahul Gandhi's comments. "By saying jawanon ki khoon ki dalali, he had crossed all limits. They are an insult not only to the brave armed forces and martyrs but the entire country. Is the blood of our soldiers something that you can trade?" he said.
Shah said that using the word dalali for soldiers showed the Congress' mindset. He added that the UPA government had done dalali from Bofors to the 2G scam. He also recalled the Congress's earlier statements— maut ka saudagar and zeher ki kheti — saying both had backfired politically. Shah also sought an explanation from Congress president Sonia Gandhi for her son's comments.
Shah dismissed posters on the surgical strikes in UP saying "some zilla parishad" putting up posters should not be made an issue. This was in reference to some posters lauding the BJP for the strikes.
Two hours after Shah's press conference, Congress leader Kapil Sibal spoke to reporters and accused the BJP of distorting facts. Countering Shah's claims that the Indian Army crossed the LoC for the first time since Independence, Sibal wondered if he (Shah) was ignorant of history or was he trying to rewrite it.
"Was it Modi who crossed the LoC in 1965? Or, was it Manohar Parrikar or Amit Shah who crossed it? Who crossed the LoC in 1971? Does India's history begin from 2014? What happened in 1999? Who crossed the LoC during Kargil?" Sibal said at a press conference at the AICC headquarters.
Sibal also attacked the BJP on its Pakistan policy, claiming that the saffron party was responsible for the creation of the Jaish-e-Mohammed. "The Uri attacks would not have happened if Masood Azhar had not been released in 1999," he said. The Congress leader also mentioned Modi's flip-flop on Pakistan, and reminded reporters that Modi had paid a surprise visit to Pakistan for prime minister Nawaz Sharif's birthday last year.
Replying to a comment about the BJP, saying that the prime minister has not uttered a single word as far as the surgical strike was concerned, Sibal said: "When he (Prime Minister) is in power, he will not utter a single word, but when he is not in power, he will blame the armed forces. On September 15, 2013, Narendra Modi tweeted and said: "We are facing many crises. All this is happening due to the weakness of the Army — This is what he said."
The Congress leader also said that the BJP needed to show more sensitivity towards the armed forces. Sibal said that that Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar should have visited the families of the martyred soldiers instead of being felicitated in Agra at a rally.
"Irresponsible statements and brandishing surgical strikes for political ends is not good for India and not good for democracy, not good for the security of the nation."
Later in the day, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad held another press conference at the BJP headquarters to counter Sibal.
"What does the Congress mean by saying that the BJP made Jaish-e-Mohammad? You know who will be happy with his comment — the ISI," Prasad said. He said the words used by the Congress were "shameful, regrettable and full of venom."
Prasad added that Sibal's statements showed that the Congress leaders' loyalty towards Rahul Gandhi had overtaken their patriotism.
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