Congress distances itself from Sanjay Nirupam's remarks on surgical strikes

New Delhi: Sanjay Nirupam landed the Congress into an embarrassing spot on Tuesday after raising doubts over the veracity of the Indian Amry’s surgical strikes along the LoC. The Congress party sought to distance itself from the Mumbai party chief’s comments and took a serious note of it. “Congress doesn’t agree with the statements made by Sanjay Nirupam, we have taken a serious note of it,” said Randeep Surjewala, Congres spokesperson. “It’s time that Government of India unmasks Pakistan's false propaganda by revealing & making public the evidences we have,” Surjewala added. Nirupam had suggested that the surgical strikes were "fake" and accused the BJP of indulging in politics over national interest. "Every Indian wants surgical strikes against Pakistan but not a fake one to extract just political benefit by BJP. politics over national interest(sic)," Nirupam tweeted. Later talking to reporters, Nirupam said it is upto the government to prove the surgical strikes did take place. He said his party was of the view that Pakistan should be punished. "The way BJP was indulging in politics, putting up banners and taking credit gives a view whether such strikes did happen. In Goa, the Defence Minister (Manohar Parrikar) is being publicly felicitated. Why were earlier surgical strikes not announced in a press conference? Why was a press conference done now (by DGMO Lt Gen Ranbir Singh)?. Was there any pressure from the government?" he asked. Army conducted surgical strikes on seven terror launch pads along the LoC on the intervening night of September 28 and 29, inflicting "significant casualties" on terrorists preparing to infiltrate from PoK. The next morning, the DGMO had given this information to the media in a press conference. Pakistan, however, has been dismissing the claim as "fabrication of truth" and said India was creating "media hype" by re-branding cross-border fire as surgical strikes.