Congress attacks Manohar Parrikar

Defence minister has made it clear that he is the proxy chief minister of Goa or wants to be CM, said Abhishek Manu Singhvi

Short of demanding his resignation, the Congress lambasted Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar saying he had failed to perform his duty.

“On all parameters, there has been a deterioration, be it in fatalities in terrorist violence, ceasefire violations or explosion,” Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said. Singhvi charged that Parrikar’s heart was still in Goa, where he was the chief minister and was moved to Delhi to hold the key defence portfolio.

“Defence minister has made it clear that he is the proxy chief minister of Goa or wants to be CM. In either event, the casualty can’t be defence of India,” he said.

Targeting the government over the Uri attack in which 18 soldiers were martyred and the earlier one in Pathankot, in which seven soldiers were killed, the Congress leader said the centre’s policies indicate a strategic failure and stressed the need to fix accountability for the security lapses in the past.

“In quick succession, we have had two dastardly attacks on armed installations. This is an unfortunate novelty in war by terrorists,” said Singhvi adding, “There has to be accountability for this repeated and recurring tactical and strategic failure. There can’t be failure without accountability.”

Noting that India had lost more soldiers in terrorist attacks this year as compared to past six years, the Congress leader said the country cannot allow its soldiers to become fodder. The Uri attack happened due to “complete operational, tactical and logistical failure”, he said.

The Congress blamed the BJP of playing politics with national security and struggling with a response.

“To politicize everything is the mindset of the BJP. Opportunistic and selective misuse of nationalism is the nature of the BJP,” he said.