BJP guilty of using blood and sacrifice of soldiers for votes: Jaiveer Shergill

As the Pulwama terror attack completes a year today, the Congress has hit out at the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) for being allegedly silent on the 'big intelligence failure'.

Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist Adeel Ahmed Dar had driven an explosive-laden car next to a convoy of security vehicles and blew himself up on the Jammu-Srinagar highway at Lethpora in Pulwama district last year, killing 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers.

While addressing a press conference, Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill said, "BJP focus is only on vote security and not on national security. BJP after 26/11 not only did a press conference but also printed posters with the blood of the sacrifice of our soldiers, asking for votes."

The BJP, he added, had sought votes in the name of the Pulwama attack.

"If the BJP government and the PM can spend Rs 4,500 crore on self advertisements and spend Rs 1.5 crore everyday on his SPG security, why did the BJP government not fulfil the promises made to the families of Pulwama martyrs," he asked.

The Congress leader said the BJP had betrayed the families by not fulfilling the promises of a government job and Rs 25 lakh to their next of kin.

Shergill also came to Gandhi's support after the BJP accused him of insulting the memory of Pulwama martyrs.

"When Shri Narendra Modi held a press conference questioning the government from attack site of 26/11 he was a nationalist, but when Shri Rahul Gandhi raises questions on Pulwama he is anti-national? Shun the hypocrisy and stop this 'use and throw' policy towards soldiers of this country," Shergill said.

He added that the BJP is the first to claim credit for national security but remains mum when it comes to issues of intelligence failure.

"The world knows that Pakistan was responsible for the Pulwama attacks but the BJP government is silent about the big intelligence failure and security lapse that led to the attack," he said.

According to him, the BJP government is "scared, allergic to answerability and accountability relating to lapses in national security".

"During elections, the BJP approach towards soldiers is 'Hum Saath Saath Hai' but after elections, their approach is 'Hum Aapke Hai Kaun?'," he said, referencing two Bollywood films to make his point.

The Congress on its Twitter handle also asked why the Pulwama attack report had not been made public and whether the government was suppressing it to hide their failures.

"After the election speeches and photo-ops the BJP govt has completely forgotten about the families of the martyrs. They promised them jobs and compensation, yet one year after the attack the families are forced to beg the govt for what is owed to them.

"Pulwama is one of the most heavily guarded areas in the country, how is it possible that a a vehicle laden with such volatile explosives could enter without notice? Why were proper safeguards not in place?" it tweeted.

(With PTI inputs)