The BJP on Monday alleged that the Congress and its allies have become a "fifth column" working to lower the morale of armed forces after Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai took a 'toy Rafale' jibe at the government over its response to the Pahalgam terror attack.
BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi sought to draw a parallel between the Pakistani army and leaders of the INDIA bloc, saying the former is bombarding the Indian armed forces from across the border by violating the ceasefire while opposition leaders are targeting them with their comments from within.
Rai showed a toy plane depicting Rafale fighter aircraft with lemons and chilies hanging from it and asked the government when it will put them to use against terrorists. He noted that lemons and chilies were tied to the aircraft, a ritual to ward off evil, following India's acquisition of the fighter planes from France.
"They remain parked with lemons and chilies tied to them. When will they be put to use?" he had asked.
Trivedi accused the Congress leader of mocking Hindu religious sentiments, claiming that while the Pakistani army is scared, there is a need to protect the aircraft from the "evil eyes" of the Congress.
Religious practices are respected within the armed forces, he said, noting that they employ religious teachers as well. War cries like "Bolo Bajrangbali ki jai" and "Raja Ram Chandra ki jai" are invoked by different regiments, he added.
Trivedi said Rai's comments are in a series of disparaging remarks from opposition leaders aimed at demoralising the armed forces.
He said while hardly any Pakistani leader is being quoted in the Indian media for speaking against their army, Indian politicians are being frequently cited in the neighbouring country for their criticism of the government and allegedly lowering the morale of Indian armed forces.
The BJP leader said the Indian Army is much stronger than its Pakistani counterpart, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has shown determined leadership. Pakistan, however, scores over India when it comes to leaders speaking in one voice, he said He mocked the Congress official's stance of supporting the government in its actions following the Pahalgam terror attack, likening it to Pakistan's pronouncement of supporting peace while promoting terrorism in India behind the scenes. The ugly face of the Congress has been unmasked, he alleged.
He said, "The Congress and the INDI Alliance have become like a fifth column." He reiterated Prime Minister Modi's resolve that the perpetrators of the terror attack and those part of the conspiracy will be pursued to the "ends of the earth" and inflicted a punishment "beyond their imagination."
The previous Congress governments had lost in diplomacy while armed forces won in the battlefield, he said, asserting that the Modi government will deliver an effective response on both fronts.
He cited former Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major's assertion that the Indian Air Force was ready to strike after the 26/11 attack on Mumbai in 2008 by Pakistani terrorists, but the then Congress-led UPA government decided against the option.
The BJP leader, also a Rajya Sabha MP, said the UPA government under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh repeatedly held bilateral talks with Pakistan despite its support of terrorism, but the Modi government has made it clear that it will not formally engage with Pakistan.
While opposition leaders have been taking jibes at the government, he noted that Modi, as the then Gujarat chief minister, had spoken strongly against Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif's "dehati aurat" dig at Singh.
As the then leader of the opposition, Atal Bihari Vajpayee had spoken robustly in the UN in support of the PV Narasimha Rao-led government in the 90s against Pakistan-backed terrorism, he added.