Launching a trenchant attack on the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for using the surgical strikes (both Uri and Balakot airstrikes) to seek votes this election season, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made harsh remarks on Modi’s petty politics in using the Indian Army. “The UPA government had conducted multiple surgical strikes but did not believe in using them to win votes,” said Singh.
His remarks come at a time when Modi has been attacking the UPA government for not controlling terrorism and its failure to expose Pakistan as hot-bed of terror activities. Commenting on the Mumbai attacks in 2008, Manmohan Singh said: “Within 14 days of the Mumbai attack, we got China to agree to declare [Lashkar-e-Taiba chief] Hafiz Saeed as a global terrorist,” Singh, adding that “the UPA ensured that a $10 million bounty was placed on the head of the Mumbai attack perpetrator and the founder of Pakistan-based LeT by America.”
Stating that the BJP is bringing down the PM post’s dignity with petty and foolish comments, he said that Indira Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri too were great and strong decisive leaders who led India. He made these comments at a time when BJP is chest-thumping about Modi’s greatness in taking a strong stand for India on an international level.
“There cannot be any comparison between their greatness and the pettiness of the present regime. Neither Mrs Gandhi nor her predecessor took away the credit of our armed forces [in the 1971 or 1965 wars with Pakistan],” he added. He said that the Modi government cannot hide behind the bravery and greatness of the Indian Armed Forces and seek votes by publicising Armed Forces’ actions.
