Opposition's habit to seek political mileage from every incident: BJP

The BJP on Thursday said it has become the opposition’s habit to seek political mileage from every incident as it hit back at rivals criticising its felicitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the success of the G20 summit amid reports of security officials’ death in a gunfight in Kashmir.

”Seeking political mileage from everything has become a habit of the opposition,” BJP general secretary Tarun Chugh, who is his party’s in-charge for Jammu and Kashmir, said in reply to a question about the opposition’s claim.

Paying tributes to an Army colonel, a major and a deputy superintendent of police, who made the supreme sacrifice in a gunfight with terrorists, Chugh said the killers will not be spared.

Another party leader Ashish Sood, who is the BJP’s co-incharge for Jammu and Kashmir, condemned National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah for advocating talks with Pakistan to find a lasting peace, claiming that this amounts to overground support to terrorism in the Union Territory.

”To claim that terrorism is not going down is also an insult to armed forces’ sacrifice. Pakistan abets terrorism and somebody advocating talks with that country is akin to supporting terrorism,” he said.

Chugh said Pakistan is leaving no stone unturned to disturb peace in Jammu and Kashmir. It is employing its malicious tactics day in and day out to target people, he said.

Colonel Manpreet Singh, the commanding officer of 19 Rashtriya Rifles, Major Ashish Dhonack, and Deputy Superintendent Humayun Bhat were killed in the gunfight with terrorists that ensued in the Garol area of Anantnag district early Wednesday. Several INDIA bloc parties have slammed the BJP for holding ”celebrations” to mark the success of the G20 Summit on a day security personnel were killed by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, with the Congress saying that no matter what happens, Prime Minister Narendra Modi cannot postpone receiving accolades.

RJD leader Manoj Jha also slammed the BJP for organising the welcome programme for Prime Minister Modi and said the ruling party held ”celebrations” at its headquarters even as three soldiers and a police officer were killed in a gunbattle with terrorists.