Congress today hit back at the government for dubbing anyone asking questions as "anti- national" and accused the Modi dispensation of being the "real threat" to national security after it invited "our enemies" and ISI to Indian territory and country's defence establishments.
Congress also questioned the government's decision for putting on hold its order on NDTV India to be off-air for a day and said if it felt their decision stood ground it should face it boldly instead.
Accusing BJP of doing politics of hypocrisy, Congress spokesperson Kapil Sibal said that it does not do such kind of politics and will continue to raise questions in public interest which the government will have to answer.
"Those who don't know how terrorists entered the nation and attacked us and killed our forces. They are the real security threat. Threat to national security is the terrorist entering our nation, not the person who is asking questions.
"Whoever criticises the government and asks questions is a threat to national security. Who is the real threat?
"Those who invite our enemies and ISI to our territory, to our own defence establishment they are real threat to national security," he said.
Sibal said those who oppose the government, sedition charges are slapped on them and whose who asked questions were dubbed as anti-nationals.
"We don't do hypocritical politics. They do it. When we were in government, we tried to answer every question directed at us," he said.
The Congress leader said while Prime Minister says there should be no politics on surgical strikes, he and Amit Shah only talks about that ahead of Uttar Pradesh elections.
He asked why did Modi allow ISI to enter Pathankot air base and who was held accountable for the Uri attacks where the country's brave soldiers died.
He asked where was the probe on Pathankot terror attack when the terrorists entered from across the border.
"Was there a probe? Who was responsible for this defence lapse?
"How did terrorists reach Gurdaspur? Was there a probe? Who was responsible? Wasn't the government responsible to find out?," he asked, saying Congress will continue to raise questions on such crucial issues.
Sibal said the government says there is a difference between the freedom of expression and national security and asked why did Modi ask questions when the Mumbai terror attacks happened.
"In 26/11 Modi ji reached Mumbai when the Taj was being attacked. Modiji gave a TV byte and criticised the Government," he said, asking whether this did not make him anti-national.
He asked, "should the people of this country not ask questions" and said a Union Minister has said that asking questions is contrary to our culture while another one dubs those asking as "anti nationals".
Sibal said "We have heard that powers that be have started saying, don't question me," and that is what is happening in this country.
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Attacking those in power over alleged fake encounter in Madhya Pradesh, Sibal said there are two kinds of bans in India.
"One ban that can be put on hold. And another ban is that can't be put on hold," he said.
He said, "You have a fake encounter, where you silence a person. Then if you ask a question, you become anti-national" adding that a TV Channel has shown the conversations where authorities said that don't keep these people alive.
"This is a kind of censorship. You can censor a human being through a fake encounter. That is a permanent ban," he said.
The Congress leader said government has started saying that asking questions is not allowed.
"It appears that those who ask questions will become anti-national," he said.
"You can also censor a human being to a fake encounter. That is a permanent ban," he said, adding that this is why we can't ask any questions and they banned a channel.
