'Completely wrong', says Rahul Gandhi on Sandeep Dikshit's shocking remark on Army Chief Bipin Rawat

Bengaluru: Reacting to Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit's comment on Army Chief, Rahul Gandhi said on Monday that it was completely wrong.

The Congress vice president said that the Indian Army works for the country and there was no need for any political leader to make comments against the Army Chief.

"Someone from the press told me today that a Congress leader has made comments about the Army Chief. This is absolutely wrong," he said, addressing a Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee meeting here.

"People should not make any comments against the Army chief. I want to make it clear that the Indian Army works for us, it protects India. There is no need for any political leader to make comments against the Army chief," he added.

Rahul further said, "No politician should make comment against the Army Chief. This is completely wrong."

Meanwhile, the BJP today attacked the Congress over Dikshit terming the Army Chief a 'sadak ka goonda' and demanded an apology from its chief Sonia Gandhi.

The Congress had shown a "consistent pattern" in undermining democratic institutions and it was shocking that its leader had now targeted the Army, Union minister Nirmala Sitharaman said at a press conference.

"There is no sense of apology in his tweets. No less than Congress president Sonia Gandhi should come out and apologise," Sitharaman said.

Calling Dikshit, a former Lok Sabha MP, an eminent leader and well-known face, she said the Congress should disown him for trying to shame and demoralise the Army, as per PTI.

Referring to the 2008 Batla House encounter in which a Delhi Police officer was also killed, she said Congress leaders had then visited houses of killed terrorists. Congress functionaries had repeatedly made comments which targeted institutions, the minister said.

Sitharaman also referred to Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi's 'khoon ki dalali' barb at Prime Minister Narendra Nodi last year.

The Congress leadership has allowed many of its leaders to go "haywire" and there is a pattern in it, she said, "It shocks me and my party."

Even when India lost a war, this kind of name calling did not happen, she said.

Such comments by Congress leaders had become useful for India's opponents and given them a leverage.

"I wonder if there is a strategy of the Congress to undermine our institutions. They do so in Parliament but to do so to the Army is shocking," she said. 

"Ours is not a mafia army like the Pakistani army which makes statements like the goons on the street. It looks bad when our Army chief gives a statement like a 'sadak ka goonda' (goon on the street)," the former Congress MP and son of former Delhi CM  Sheila Dikshit had said yesterday.

He, however, later withdrew his remarks and had tweeted, "I have reservations on a comment of the Army Chief, but I should have chosen appropriate words. I apologise." 

I have reservations on a comment of the Army Chief, but I should have chosen appropriate words. I apologise — Sandeep Dikshit (@_SandeepDikshit) June 11, 2017

Army Chief defends human shield incident, says 'troops need innovative ways to fight against dirty war in Kashmir'

Last month, General Bipin Rawat had defended the human shield incident and had said that the troops needed innovative ways to fight against the "dirty war" in Kashmir. 

"People are throwing stones at us, people are throwing petrol bombs at us. If my men ask me what do we do, should I say, just wait and die? I will come with a nice coffin with a national flag and I will send your bodies home with honour. Is it what I am supposed to tell them as chief? I have to maintain the morale of my troops who are operating there," he had said. 

"This is a proxy war and proxy war is a dirty war. It is played in a dirty way. The rules of engagements are there when the adversary comes face-to-face and fights with you. It is a dirty war.... That is where innovation comes in. You fight a dirty war with innovations," the Army Chief had further said.

The Army Chief had added, "I would have been happy if the protesters were firing weapons at the Armed forces instead of throwing stones. Then I could do what I (want to do)."

Major Leetul Gogoi belonging to the 53 Rashtriya Rifles, who had tied a man to a jeep in Kashmir purportedly as a shield against stone pelters, had been honoured with the Army Chief's 'Commendation Card' for his 'sustained efforts' in counter- insurgency operations.

The Army Chief's 'Commendation Card' is considered a prestigious award and is given for distinguished services and devotion to duty.

General Rawat had pointed out that the main objective of awarding him, when a Court of Inquiry was finalising its probe into the incident, was to boost the morale of young officers of the force who are operating in a very difficult environment in the militancy- infested state.

He had maintained that the armed forces had the right of self defence and Major Gogoi could have opted for firing at the crowd but he chose not to resort to it

On the situation in J&K he had said, in an interview to PTI, "Kashmir needs a composite solution, everybody will have to get involved."

The Army Chief had emphasised that just four districts of South Kashmir were disturbed and it was incorrect to say that entire Kashmir has gone out of control.

General Rawat, who had served in Jammu and Kashmir extensively, had said that if people in any country lose fear of the Army, then the country was doomed.

(With PTI inputs)