BJP says army given free hand to act by government, slams Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi. Pic/PTI

The BJP asserted on Saturday that the government has given a free hand to the Indian Army which is setting a unique example of courage and bravery on the borders.

BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi made the assertion as he slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his allegation that the government was not listening to security forces and was instead using them for political gains.

"The Congress used to not allow the army to work freely. Even now it is trying to lower its morale by frequently making false statements. Rahul Gandhi says the army should be allowed to do its work. We are very much letting it do its work, and that is why it is emerging victorious," Trivedi said in a statement.

He cited former US president Barack Obama's reference to the 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai in his book in which he had mentioned that the Indian Army was ready to act tough but the then Congress government held it back.

It was done because the Congress-led UPA dispensation believed that the BJP will benefit from the circumstances which may emerge if the army acts, the BJP leader claimed.

He also rejected the former Congress president's criticism of the government's foreign policy.

Trivedi said PM Modi is being "applauded" globally for his efforts to end the Ukraine war through diplomacy and dialogue.

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India has got the presidency of G-20, a grouping of leading economies, he noted and took a swipe at Gandhi, saying the Congress can't still find India's foreign policy successful.

He said Gandhi should remember Modi's strong reaction against the then Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif's use of "objectionable" words against Manmohan Singh, then India's PM.

In opposition, the BJP and its forebearer Jana Sangh always supported the government during wars in 1962, 1965 and 1971, Trivedi said.

While India exported smartphones worth Rs 23,000 crore last year and is manufacturing missiles and aircraft carriers, Gandhi claims that manufacturing is not happening in India, the BJP spokesperson said in a dig at the Congress leader.

At a press conference here on Saturday, Rahul Gandhi on Saturday alleged that China and Pakistan have come together and said this is a very dangerous thing that has happened because the government "mishandled" foreign policy.

He said the government has to hear out the army, air force and navy, and respect them.

"This means that what you are using politically, you will have to stop doing that," Gandhi said.

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