Amid Opposition allegations that the BJP-led NDA government wanted to politicise and electorally exploit the “surgical strike” on terror launch pads along the Line of Control in Pakistan, BJP leaders in Uttar Pradesh praised India's “surgical strike” in several banners and hoardings. The State is expected to go to the Assembly polls in less than four months.
Several banners and large hoardings, allegedly put up by local BJP leaders, came up at prominent places in Muzaffarnagar thanking the Narendra Modi government and the Indian Army for the strong retaliation along the LoC.
Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah reacted strongly to the BJP hoardings and tweeted: “And some people will lecture others about politicising the army action all the while turning a blind eye to hoardings like these that sprout. No reward for guessing that this one is in UP. For the BJP and sections of the shouting brigade it is always do as we say, don't do as we do.”
Senior Aam Aadmi Party leader Asutosh also tweeted: “Look who is getting such hoardings put up and who is doing politics over ‘surgical strike’. People are watching every thing.”
The banners sport a life size picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with smaller pictures of BJP national president Amit Shah and local BJP Leaders. The banner also has pictures of Union Agriculture Minister for State (Independent Charge) and the local MP Sanjeev Baliyan, party president of its U.P. unit K.P. Maurya. And party MLA from Muzaffarnagar Kapil Aggarwal.
“We will kill you and kill you for sure but with our gun, our bullet, at our time of convenience but at your place,” says the controversial and provocative line on the posters which have been put up all across Muzaffarnagar.
The local unit of the party however, disowned the banners and said it was the doing of “enthusiastic party workers” in Muzaffarnagar.
“As far as I know, we have not put up the posters. It seems that these are the doings of the patriotic and enthusiastic party workers,” Virendar Singh, a close aide to Sanjeev Baliyan and a senior party leader in the western U.P., told The Hindu .
“We need to accept that there is general happiness among people over the way Modi government gave a befitting reply to Pakistan. Nobody wants to do politics over this issue but how could we stop people from expressing their gratitude to Prime Minister Modi and our brave soldiers,” added Mr. Singh who is in the race to contest the coming Assembly polls on the BJP ticket from Mirapur.
Asif Rahi, an activist from Paigham-e-Insaniyat, objected to the “sheer politicisation” of the issue by the BJP in a “provocative language.”
.
