Both the ruling BJP and opposition Congress in Gujarat today slammed Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav over his remark that no soldier from Gujarat got martyred.
Yoga guru Baba Ramdev, who was in the city, said Gujarat gave a leader like Sardar Patel, who united the nation.
While the BJP said it was Yadav's "frustration over the popular leadership of Gujarat" that compelled him to make such a statement, the state Congress criticised him saying the martyrdom of soldiers should not be viewed from the narrow prism of of region, religion, caste or class.
Yadav today appeared to question the patriotism of the people of Gujarat when he said no soldier from the state got martyred.
"Jawans from UP, Madhya Pradesh, South India and other parts of the country have sacrificed their lives but tell me if anyone from Gujarat has been martyred," he said.
Reacting to his remarks, BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya said, "Gujarat has contributed significantly to India's struggle for independence. It was the leadership of (Mahatma) Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel -- both Gujaratis -- that got us our freedom from the British rule."
"A soldier belongs to the nation and not a state and his sacrifice should not be seen at a regional level. Even soldiers from Gujarat have attained martyrdom. It is out of his (Yadav's) frustration over the popular leadership of Gujarat that he made such a statement," he said.
Stating that playing politics over the martyrdom of soldiers was wrong, Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi said it was because of the failure of the BJP government at the Centre that so many soldiers have been martyred.
"It is wrong to play politics over the martyrdom of our brave soldiers. They belong to the country, fight for the country and do not belong to any region, religion, caste or class," he said.
"I salute their bravery and martyrdom. It is the failure of the BJP government that such a large number of our soldiers have got martyred," Doshi further said.
Baba Ramdev said, "No political leader should make such comments about any state and its culture."
"This is the land of Sardar Patel, who united this country, which was once divided into around 560 princely states. Can there be any bigger example of bravery?" he asked.
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