The Congress dissociated itself from Digvijaya Singh's remarks on the 2016 surgical strikes on Monday, claiming that his opinions "are his own" and "do not reflect the position" of the party.
Taking to Twitter, Congress communication incharge Jairam Ramesh stated: “The views expressed by senior leader Digvijaya Singh are his own and do not reflect the position of Congress. Surgical strikes were carried out before 2014 by UPA government. Congress has supported & will continue to support all military actions that are in the national interest."
Singh questioned the surgical strikes and accused the government of spreading lies while speaking to a crowd on Monday during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir. This sparked irate responses from the Bharatiya Janata Party, which claimed that the opposition party was "insulting" the armed forces and was blinded by its "hate" for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Singh said that since the government refused the CRPF's request to fly its members from Srinagar to Delhi, 40 soldiers lost their lives in a terrorist assault in Pulwama in 2019.
"They talk of surgical strikes. They claim to have killed so many people but no proof is given. They are ruling by peddling a bundle of lies," Singh, who has often courted controversy with his remarks, was quoted by PTI in its report.
"From where did the terrorists get 300 kg of RDX in Pulwama incident? DSP Davinder Singh was caught with terrorists but then why was he released? We also want to know about the friendship between the prime ministers of Pakistan and India," Singh said in a tweet.
In the video message he included with the tweet, Singh said that while 40 members of the CRPF gave their life in Pulwama, the administration has not been able to identify the source of the three quintals of RDX.
"We would also like to know from the prime minister as to what kind of relations he has with Pakistani prime minister that both are praising each other. At least, he should answer these questions," the Congress leader said in a video message.
The BJP launched a scathing assault on the Congress, claiming that such statements prove that Rahul Gandhi and his party colleagues are actually attempting to "destroy" the nation while they are leading the country-wide foot march. In essence, it is a "Bharat todo yatra," according to BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia.
"India will not tolerate if they speak against armed forces. Rahul Gandhi and the Congress hate PM Modi but it seems they have been blinded by the hate to an extent that their dedication to the country has withered away," he said, PTI reported.
"Gandhi and the Congress do not have trust in our brave armed forces. They repeatedly raise questions and insult the citizens of India and our armed forces," Bhatia claimed.