India
Lt Gen DS Hooda, who had made spoken against the politicisation of the surgical strike on the sidelines of a military literature festival in Chandigarh, expressed anguish at the fact that his statement was being used politically and that the opposition was trying to use it for its gains
New Delhi: Surgical Strike hero and former Northern Army Commander Lt Gen BS Hooda today clarified that he had not criticized the government specifically. Rather, he said, he had urged both the government and the opposition to refrain from "unnecessary politicking" on issues of national security.
"I had not said that the government alone was hyping it. What I said was that there was too much of politicisation of the issue from both the sides and that there is too much political banter on the subject. I had asked both the sides to refrain from unnecessary politicking over the nation’s strategic issues when the Army is going into operations," Lt Gen Hooda told MyNation.
Commenting on the controversy created over his statement where he had said the surgical strikes were "over-hyped" and "politicised", the former Northern Army Commander said he was referring to the political talk on the issue when he gave that statement.
Hooda had made the statement on the sidelines of a military literature festival in Chandigarh. The officer expressed anguish at the fact that his statement was being used politically and that the opposition was trying to use it for its gains.
Hooda said that Chandigarh-based newspaper The Tribune alone had reported the panel discussion in the literature festival.
Hooda, while answering on the issue of surgical strike by the Narendra Modi government, said that the strike had been politicised and overhyped. He said, "From our perspective, the surgical strike was a needed step. The strike has been overhyped and politicised, but from a military perspective, it was a very successful operation."
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