Time not ripe for politics on Operation Sindoor: BJP to Rahul Gandhi

Jammu, May 24 (PTI) Launching a scathing attack on the Congress, BJP's national executive member Ravinder Raina on Saturday asked its leader Rahul Gandhi to join the nation in celebrating the success of Operation Sindoor under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership instead of indulging in petty politics to score brownie points.

He accused the Congress of always backstabbing the nation, claiming that terrorism and separatism are the outcome of its wrong policies.

“This is not the time for politics...the terrorists bled India by carrying out a dastardly attack on innocent tourists in Pahalgam on April 22 and faced the wrath of the Indian forces under Operation Sindoor on the intervening night of May 6 and 7. This is not a political fight but a fight against terrorism,” Raina told reporters here.

The BJP leader was responding to a question on Gandhi's whirlwind tour to the worst-hit Poonch to express solidarity with the victims of Pakistani shelling.

“The whole nation is saluting the armed forces and the Modi-led government for the success of Operation Sindoor which brought Pakistan to its knees. Do politics at the time of elections and not this time when everyone is joining the 'Tiranga Yatra' with their hearts filled with nationalism,” he said.

Raina, who was flanked by other senior leaders, including former minister Zulfikar Ali, said it does not behave well for the Congress to do politics on Operation Sindoor with Gandhi raising questions on the government.

“Do not betray the nation. Your party is directly responsible for terrorism and separatism in the country and always back stabbed the nation. The country will never forget you and your party,” he added.

Asserting Pakistan is the biggest enemy and a sinner of Jammu and Kashmir by backing terrorism in the region for the past 35 years, he said India under Prime Minister Modi's leadership will root out terrorism as he kept his promise of hitting terror infrastructure across the border which has set a new security dimension in the country.

Responding to a poser on the PDP and some other parties advocating dialogue with Pakistan, Raina said India enjoys friendly ties with almost all countries across the globe, but Islamabad never supported the peace overtures initiated by India like former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Raina, a former J&K BJP president, said “Pakistan is not understanding the language of peace and that is the reason Modi taught them what they understand well”.

“Operation Sindoor is just a trailer by our forces and Modi and we are capable of showing them the whole picture,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ali requested the Centre to declare the damage caused by Pakistani shelling as a “national emergency” and ensure proper rehabilitation of the victims of cross-border shelling.

“Pakistan’s indiscriminate shelling on civilian areas makes it clear that it has no love for people and only wants the land of J&K,” he said and requested more underground individual and community bunkers for the border residents for their safety.

Raina also welcomed the Central government’s decision of keeping the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance despite reaching an agreement on ceasefire and said the Modi government has cornered Pakistan and it is not less than a surgical strike on the neighbouring country. PTI TAS AS AS