Parrikar’s remarks amount to degrading the army, alleges Mayawati

Taking strong exception to Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar giving credit for the decision for cross-LOC surgical strikes to his "RSS teachings", BSP chief Mayawati on Tuesday alleged that it amounts to degrading the country's armed forces.

"Instead of giving credit for surgical strikes to army, the Defence Minister first gave it to the Prime Minister and now to his RSS teachings which amounts to degrading the valour of the country's army and is condemnable," Mayawati, who had earlier accused BJP of doing politics over the issue with an eye on upcoming polls in Uttar Pradesh and others states, said in a statement here.

The former UP chief minister also lashed out at RSS accusing it of following a "divisive agenda" and alleged that the saffron outfits were raising these issues due to BJP's dismal condition in the state.

Addressing a programme in Ahmedabad on Monday, Parrikar had appeared to have given credit to RSS teachings for the decision to launch cross-LOC surgical strikes.

"I wonder, with the combination of Prime Minister who comes from Mahatma Gandhi's home state, and I, Defence Minister, coming from Goa which never had any martial race, and surgical strikes. May be the RSS teaching was at the core, but this was quite a different kind of combination," Parrikar had said.

Reacting to the remarks, Mayawati said, "It is wrong on the part of the prime minister and defence minister to take credit for surgical strikes and take political mileage in the coming polls."

"Though the RSS claims to be a cultural organisation, its activists have always worked with political motives, with a particular mentality in favour of a political party... its people are now present in the BJP and government," she said.

The BSP chief said that BJP and its leaders "are worried over the bad shape of affairs in its Uttar Pradesh unit and so are using controversial issues of nationalism and patriotism to serve political purposes.

"There desperation is most evident in their ongoing efforts to wean away leaders of other political parties."