Rahul Gandhi, after questioning surgical strike, conveniently bags Lt Gen Hooda who led the operation

New Delhi: The Congress, which demanded proof of the Indian surgical strikes against terror camps across the Line of Control (LoC) — some in the party even called it ‘fake’ — has roped in Lieutenant General (retd) DS Hooda to head its national security task force and is flaunting him too.

The man behind the surgical strikes is now working for the Congress and, by association, the party is trying to establish its nationalistic credentials, perhaps having sensed the mood of the nation in the run up to the 2019 polls ― especially after the groundswell of anger across the nation against Pakistan post-Pulwama terror attack.

MyNation exposes Congress’s politicisation of the brave act and exploitation of the ultimate sacrifice of the armed force, as much as its politics of convenience when it comes to national pride.

Here are five instances where the Congress belittled the surgical strikes and now intends to use Hooda as its mascot:

1.   While the nation was basking in the glory of the surgical strikes, Congress president Rahul Gandhi tried to extract political mileage by attacking the Centre.

“You are hiding behind the blood of the soldiers … aap khoon ki dalali kar rahe ho … they have done their job, you do yours,” he said, targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

2.   While the nation came together to celebrate the extrication of their collective pride after the Uri terror attack, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh chose to politicise the matter. Stung at, perhaps, losing popular support which the BJP lapped up for its government's approval for the strikes, Singh accused the BJP of creating a “hype”. In an interview with a newspaper, he called upon the government to come out with some “credible proof” (that the surgical strike happened indeed).

3.   Singh once again targeted the BJP and asked for proof of the strikes. In a tweet he quoted a report published in The News based in Islamabad and wrote: "Our credibility is at stake Modiji/Dovalji. Release video footage immediately."

4.  Another well-known face of the Congress, Sanjay Nirupam termed the surgical strikes carried out by the Indian Army across the LoC in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir as ‘fake’. Just to make the BJP-led Centre look bad politically, he tweeted: "Every Indian wants Surgical Strikes Against Pakistan but not a fake one to extract just political benefit by BJP. Politics over national interest."

5.   Former Union minister in UPA regimes, P Chidambaram too followed Singh’s suit. He asked for proof of the strikes too ― insofar as he demanded that the release of video recording of the military action.

"Having taken the political ownership for the cross-border action and having publicised it so much, it is only to be expected that people will demand that the video be released. So, I am sure the government has thought through about the consequences of taking the political ownership for a purely military action," he had said.

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