BJP on Wednesday urged the Election Commission (EC) to take strong measures against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his recent remarks accusing the Modi government of establishing two classes of soldiers. A BJP delegation, led by senior figures such as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Union Ministers Arjun Ram Meghwal and Rajeev Chandrasekhar, filed an official complaint with the Election Commission.
“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 the poll panel officials.
Gandhi reportedly made these comments during a rally, where he criticized the Modi government’s Agnipath recruitment scheme for soldiers. “As soon as the INDIA alliance government comes, we will end the Agniveer scheme. India does not need two types of martyrs. Everyone should get a pension,” Gandhi had said at a rally in Bihar’s Bhagalpur.
Speaking to reporters after meeting poll officials, Jaishankar said, “Today all of us have come to the Election Commission and the reason for this is that in the last few days, we have repeatedly brought to the notice of the Election Commission the violations of the MCC which the Congress and other parties of the INDI alliance are doing. It is a matter of concern that no action has been taken. So today we have come again and we placed before them 22 such examples and we reiterated to them one more time that you are aware and if action is not taken and such violations continue to happen then it will be a loss for the entire country because then there will be no respect for the model code of conduct…”
Further explaining the incident that led them to file a complaint, Jaishankar said, “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.”
#WATCH | EAM Dr S Jaishankar says, “Today all of us have come to the Election Commission and the reason for this is that in the last few days, we have repeatedly brought to the notice of the Election Commission the violations of the MCC which the Congress and other parties of the… pic.twitter.com/mNN8LktbDj
— ANI (@ANI) May 15, 2024
He further expressed his anger on the remarks saying, “This is an attack on our armed forces. They 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.”
The BJP delegation pressed the EC to take firm action against Gandhi and request a withdrawal of his remarks. Jaishankar emphasized the seriousness of such allegations against the armed forces, especially during election times, stating that they present a major threat to the nation’s security.
He emphasized previous occasions where the Congress, under Rahul’s leadership, purportedly disparaged the armed forces, citing instances such as questioning military actions in Arunachal Pradesh and casting doubt on the effectiveness of operations like the Balakot surgical strike and the Uri attacks. Jaishankar concluded by asserting that such assaults on the armed forces for political advantage are unacceptable and should be strongly condemned.
“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 you attack them in such a way without any reason and by spreading lies and say that if they martyr, the government will not do anything for them, then we take serious exception to it,” said Jaishankar.
