Senior Congress leader Gulam Nabi Azad Friday accused BJP government of using achievements and sacrifices of the armed forces for vote bank politics and said no government in the past has done it.
He addressed a chain of public rallies at Pancheri, Latti,Dudu, Basantgarh and Gordi in Udhampur district in support of VikramadityaSingh, the party candidate for Udhampur Lok Sabha seat and grandson oferstwhile Dogra Maharaja Hari Singh. Vikramaditya Singh is pitted against UnionMinister and BJP candidate Jitendra Singh.
“The BJP, its government and Prime Minister NarendraModi area trying to take credit for the achievements and sacrifices of ourarmed forces, which no government in the past has done for vote bankpolitics”, Azad told a rally here.
The Congress leader said “although there were numerousachievements of our forces during previous governments including division ofPakistan and creation of Bangladesh, during the regime of Indira Gandhi, nogovernment in past used them”.
He said the forces belong to the nation and theirachievements also belong to the nation and not to any particular politicalparty. “It is wrong to take creditfor their achievements by the ruling party, as the achievement goes to theentire nation”, he said
Azad said the BJP’s “divisive politics for vestedpolitical interests” is against the overall interests of the nation.
The Congress leader said that India will remain united andstrong by respecting the sentiments of its diversity and taking each and everysection together, “not merely by hollow slogans”.
Azad referred to the country’s development in the past 70years, attributing the progress to the Congress which was in the power for mostof this period. “The achievementsand progress witnessed in all spheres by the nation is because of the visionaryand progressive programmes initiated by the successive Congressgovernments”, he said.
Azad took a dig at the BJP government, saying the”propaganda machinery of his government is spreading falsehood andmisleading people on various fronts in order to hide their failures infulfilling their commitments and fake promises to the people in the lastelection”.
He appealed to the people to “reject the forces of divide and hate” and vote for Congress to maintain the atmosphere of peace and harmony for the nation’s unity.