BJP attacks Harish Rawat's 'brother' remark on Pak Army chief

Slamming the Congress national secretary, BJP's national media head and Rajya Sabha MP Anil Baluni said that the remark is unfortunate.The Congress secretary made his comment while defending former cricketer and Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu's courtesy visit to Pakistan to attend cricketer turned Prime Minister Imran Khan's swearing in ceremony in 2018

New Delhi: In the ongoing verbal attack against each other, BJP's national media head and Rajya Sabha MP Anil Baluni once again came up with a fresh allegation against Harish Rawat, the Congress' National General Secretary and former chief minister of Uttarakhand Harish Rawat.

In a tweet earlier in the week, Rawat highlighted the double standards of BJP leaders in the treatment of Pakistani leaders.

Rawat's tweet read: "...If Modi Ji hugs Nawaz Sharif and goes to his house and eats biryani, then it is part of work for the country! If a person (Navjot Singh Sidhu) visits his religious pilgrimage site Kartarpur Sahib and hugs his Punjabi brother, the General of the Pakistan Army, for opening the way, it is treason. What kind of double standards is this coming from BJP?".

In a tit-for-tat reply, Baluni reminded Rawat that he was referring to "Pakistani Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, whose hands are stained with the blood of Indians and brave soldiers of Uttarakhand, as brother".

The Congress secretary has been defending former cricketer and Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu's courtesy visit to Pakistan to attend cricketer turned Prime Minister Imran Khan's swearing in ceremony in 2018.

Condemning the statement Rawat issued in support of Sidhu, Bulani said the remark is unfortunate.

Questioning Rawat's politics of appeasement, Bulani said that Rawat addressed India's biggest enemy as "brother". He added that Rawat is from Devbhoomi Uttarakhand and every household in the state has at least one member in the army.

Rawat had also defended Sidhu by sharing the photo of PM Modi hugging Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif when the BJP continued raising questions about Sidhu's friendship with Imran Khan and Javed Bajwa.

Baluni also said Rawat is justifying Sidhu's statements despite being in charge of Punjab Congress even after former Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh described Navjot Singh Sidhu as dangerous for the security of the country and Harish Rawat is building bridges of praise of Sidhu.

Earlier Rawat had tweeted, "I have a question to the central leadership of BJP. Today they have problems with Navjot Singh Sidhu's friendship with Imran Khan because Navjot Singh Sidhu is now in Congress. But when he was a BJP MP, BJP considered him as its saviour in Punjab."

READ:Harish Rawat shares photo of PM Modi hugging Pak PM Sharif to defend Sidhu

Sidhu's visit to Pakistan in 2018 had drawn criticism from some quarters in India after he hugged the Pakistani Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa at the swearing-in ceremony of Imran Khan.