New Delhi: Taking a dig at the Congress for setting up a task force on national security, senior BJP leader and Union minister Arun Jaitley on Friday said it was “somewhat intriguing” that the party which ruled the country for over half a century “should need to be educated on national security concerns.”

Acknowledging Lt. Ge-neral (Retd.) D.S. Hooda as an “experienced and distinguished” former Indian Army officer, Mr Jaitley, in an article on his Facebook page, noted that Lt. General (Retd.) Hooda heading the Congress’s task force is “significant” as it is a “belated and grudging” recognition and acceptance by the opposition party of the 2016 surgical strikes, with which the former Indian Army officer was intrinsically associated. Indian forces had conducted strikes on terrorist launch pads across the Line of Control (LoC) on September 29, 2016 in retaliation to an attack on its base in Uri earlier that month.

Mr Jaitley also asked the opposition party not to give an impression that India is divided on how to fight terrorism.
 
“I am sure the head of the advisory panel would educate the (Congress) party leaders that the surgical strikes were no routine step which had been taken several times in the past, but a significant first for India,” wrote the Union finance minister. The Congress has been accusing the Modi government of politicising the surgical strikes.

Hoping that the experts on the task force would render to the Congress president Rahul Gandhi on strategic issues, Mr Jaitley highlighted “some of the basic points” integrally connected to consistency on the issue of national security.

“Do not give an impression to the world that India is divided on how to fight terrorism. When the world is rallying around India, the Opposition in India should not be striking a discordant note.....if extremists and separatists raise slogans on how to break India (the JNU incident), no one from mainstream parties should pay a supporting visit to them,” said Mr Jaitley adding that there is no freedom of speech to advocate a breakup of India.

Mr Jaitley said Indian Armed forces are amongst the most professional organisations, who work under a civilian command and maintain an arm’s length distance from the internal politics of the country.

“Politicians of any shade of opinion should not get into slanging match with any of the services personnel or their Chief. The Chief of a Force can’t be described as a ‘Sadak ka Goonda’,” he added.