AAP: Manohar Parrikar ‘demeaning’ armed forces

Escalating the ongoing war of words between the BJP and AAP on cross-LoC surgical strikes, the Kejriwal-led party accused defence minister Manohar Parrikar of “demeaning” the armed forces and threatened to file a police complaint against him.

Delhi tourism minister Kapil Mishra called Mr Parrikar “Shah Rangeela”, the Mughal Emperor who it is claimed indulged in merrymaking instead of paying attention to his empire, and said while a high alert has been issued across the country, the defence minister was busy “celebrating over the corpses of martyred soldiers”.

The party also lashed out at Mr Parrikar for his remarks comparing the Army to Hanuman.

On October 1, at an eve-nt in Dehradun, Mr Parrikar had made a reference to the Ramayana in which the monkey god crossed an ocean in a single stride after he was reminded ab-out his extraordinary po-wers by Jamwant. “Indi-an troops were like Hanu-man who did not quite know their prowess before the surgical strikes,” Mr Parrikar had said.

Addressing a news conference, senior party leader Sanjay Singh said by giving such a statement, Mr Parrikar was insulting the Army which has time and again proved itself and did a remarkable job in the 1948, 1965, 1971 and the Kargil War with Pakistan. The AAP said it will approach the police to file a compliant against Mr Parrikar in the matter.

Its attack came on a day Mr Parrikar questioned the “loyalty” of those who doubted the Army and sought proof of surgical strikes across the LoC.

The BJP had earlier accused AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal of seeking proof in the garb of his statement congratulating the PM and Army on the surgical strike. The AAP also alleed that the BJP was do-ing politics over the stri-kes and claimed that such a military operation was not carried out for the fir-st time as being “tom-tom-med” by the saffron party.

“BJP’s G,V.L. Narsimha Rao said that for the first time the Army has been made aware of its capability. By saying this, we are demeaning the military and its sacrifice. Such statements are shameful and both Mr Parrikar and Mr Rao should apologise to the armed forces,” Sanjay Singh said.