Finance Minister Arun Jaitley took a dig at Congress a day after it brought in Lt Gen D S Hooda (Retired), the architect of 2016 surgical strikes for crafting the national security manifesto for the general elections. Jaitley said that the move signaled a belated and grudging recognition and acceptance of the operation
The Central Government has long accused the Congress of not respecting the armed forces by putting forth questions on the military operations. However, Congress has defended itself by saying that it has only denounced the politicization of the surgical strikes.
Jaitely acknowledged Lt. Hooda’s experience and capability by saying that he does not have the least doubt that he (Hooda) would give a piece of very valuable advice to the party.
In a blog post named ''What it's Advisor's Must Tell the Congress Party on National Security'', Jaitley called the move "intriguing" as it showed that the Congress needed lessons on national security despite being ruling India for half a century.
He then asked the opposition party to not give an impression that the nation is divided on how to fight terrorism.
"I am sure the Head of the Advisory Panel would educate the 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," he said.
The Surgical Strikes were carried out in September 2016 when the army had carried out the strikes on 7 terrorist launch pads across the Line of Control as a reply to an attack on its base in Uri earlier the same month.