The BJP on Wednesday urged the Election Commission of India (EC) to take strict action against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his remarks that the Narendra Modi government has created two categories of soldiers, one comprising those from poor families and reserved classes, and the other from rich families.
A party delegation comprising External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Union Ministers Arjun Ram Meghwal, G Kishan Reddy and Rajeev Chandrasekhar approached the commission and lodged a complaint. BJP Rajya Sabha MP and national media in-charge Anil Baluni was part of the delegation.
“A few days ago, Rahul Gandhi said that Narendra Modi has created two types of soldiers, one comprising sons of those who are poor and belong to Dalit, Adivasi, backwards, Economically Weaker Sections in the general category and minorities, while the other comprising those who are sons of rich,” Jaishankar told reporters after meeting poll panel officials.
“This is a lie. This is an attack on our armed forces. They (Congress) want to make it a controversial topic and lower the morale of the armed forces. This is not a topic of elections. This is a matter of national security,” he said.
Mr. Gandhi had made the reported remarks at a recent poll rally in Rae Bareli while attacking the Modi government on the Agnipath recruitment scheme.
Mr. Jaishankar described Mr. Gandhi’s remarks as “very serious” and said the BJP delegation brought it to the notice of the poll panel and urged it to take “very strict action” against the Congress leader and make him retract his comments.
“If, during elections, such attacks are carried out at the Army, which, deployed at our borders, is using its all might to keep the country safe from Chinese forces and also standing firm against terrorism at the Pakistan border… If you attack them in such a way without any reason and by spreading lies and say that if they are martyred, the government will not do anything for them, then we take serious exception to it,” he said.
Mr. Jaishankar said such attacks against armed forces are “very dangerous” for the country.
“We should never tolerate it. Today we came before the Election Commission (seeking action against Mr. Gandhi) and we want to place it before the country also that this country will not tolerate that such attacks are carried out on our soldiers for political reasons,” he said.
Mr. Jaishankar said this is not the first time that the Congress and Mr. Gandhi have attacked soldiers.
“A few years ago, when our soldiers in Arunachal gave a pushback to Chinese forces, then Rahul Gandhi said in Parliament that our soldiers were beaten up. We saw this insult when the Balakot surgical strike was carried out, questions were raised. When we took successful action in Uri, on that also these people raised questions
Mr. Jaishankar said the BJP delegation also sought to draw the attention of the Election Commission to the complaints filed by the party against the Congress and other constituents of the INDIA bloc for alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct and urged the poll panel to look into them.
“It is a matter of regret that no action has been taken on them,” he told reporters.
