Modi was doing self-propagation hrs after Pulwama attack: Congress

Congress President Rahul Gandhi pays tribute to slain CRPF jawan Amit Kumar Kori, who lost his life in the Pulwama terror attack, at his residence in Shamli, on Wednesday. Pic/PTI

In a stinging attack, the Congress cited media reports to allege that Prime Minister Narendra Modi continued shooting for a film in the Corbett National Park on February 14 for his own "self propagation", and stayed put till the evening despite the Pulwama terror attack in the afternoon that day.

Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala, addressing a press meet, also claimed that the PM continued to "have tea, samosas, at seven o'clock in a PWD guest house when every single Indian household didn't have food". Taking on the BJP, he also accused its President Amit Shah of indulging in "politicisation of terrorism" in his speech in Assam on Sunday.

Meanwhile, attending a BJP event in Andhra Pradesh's Rajahmundry city on Thursday, Shah hit back at the Congress, saying the Opposition party was using the Pulwama terror attack for its "political interests". "With what face is the Congress raising questions against the Prime Minister? Congress called the Army chief names, it raised doubts over the surgical strikes (on terror havens in Pakistan), it accused the prime minister of trading with soldiers' blood, Congress' (Navjot Singh) Sidhu embraced Pakistan Army chief, the previous Congress president cried when terrorists were killed," Shah said.

Reacting to Shah's remarks later in the day, Surjewala said the BJP president should not forget that it was a Congress government that taught Pakistan lessons in 1947, in 1965 and in 1971.

"Indira Gandhi helped liberate Bangladesh, and 91,000 Pakistani soldiers had surrendered to the Indian Army in Dhaka (in 1971). In contrast, the Modi-Amit Shah duo has always done cheap politics over terrorism and tried to garner votes... Amit Shah needs to learn about patriotism. The kind of politics he is indulging in, he should apologise to the country," he told the media.

Pakistan army violates ceasefire
The Pakistan army fired on forward posts and civilian areas along the LoC in J&K's Poonch district on Thursday, thereby violating the ceasefire for the third consecutive day, officials said. Indian troops retaliated strongly, they added. There were five ceasefire violations by the Pakistan army during the past 24 hours along the LoC in Rajouri and Poonch districts, they added.

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