Manohar Parrikar must apologise for ‘insult’ to military: Congress

The Congress on Wednesday condemned defence minister Manohar Parrikar for rejecting its claim of surgical strikes having been undertaken by the Army during UPA rule, and demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi tame his “belligerent” minister and BJP president Amit Shah, and apologise to the armed forces. The Congress also asked the PM to publicly vow never to make political capital out of the Army’s sacrifice and asked Mr Parrikar to immediately apologise for his statement that “insulted” the armed forces, and undermined the efforts of veterans who made sacrifices and risked their lives. Congress’ chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala said that the BJP’s “belligerent chest-thumping” was bringing disgrace to the country’s culture of governance.