Mumbai: Actor Paresh Rawal, who stars in the upcoming movie "Uri: The Surgical Strike", has alleged that the Congress-led government dismissed the idea of surgical strikes following the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai.
"The idea of a surgical strike was proposed by the Army after the 26/11 attack but the Congress government had dismissed the suggestion," Rawal told news agency ANI on Tuesday. "Instead of standing alongside our Army and supporting them, the government said no," he claimed.
Rawal also questioned the Congress' intentions for rejecting the idea of surgical strikes. "People started doubting our Army's strength. Why did the government say no? Was it worried about the vote bank?" he said.
According to the actor, who is also a BJP MP in the Lok Sabha, PM Narendra Modi was able to take a stand by approving the strike.
"It was important to show Pakistan that we know how to answer them and that we surely have the strength to," he said.
"Uri: The Surgical Strike" is based on the Indian army's surgical strikes in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) following the attacks in Jammu and Kashmir's Uri town on September 29, 2016. The movie also features Vicky Kaushal, Yami Gautam, Kirti Kulhari and Mohit Raina. The film will hit the theatres on January 11.
The timing of the film’s release has been questioned, as it comes just months before the general elections, and its theme of surgical strikes has been a topic of heated political debate between the ruling BJP and opposition Congress.
The Congress has often accused the Narendra Modi government of using the strikes for political gain, and Rahul Gandhi claimed that the Army had conducted three similar strikes during Manmohan Singh’s tenure but never publicised it.
The BJP, on the other hand, has attacked the Congress for not standing with the soldiers and compromising national security by doubting the strikes. The General who led the surgical strikes, Lt General DS Hooda, had also said that while it was much needed, it has been politicised and overhyped.
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