China-India Face-off: Top Congress Leaders Not Interested in Army's 'Well-being,' Says Muralidhar Rao

BJP national general secretary P Muralidhar Rao on Sunday lashed out at Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi for their criticism of the Centre over the Sino-Indian faceoff, alleging the Congress leaders were interested in "politics" and not in the "well-being" of the army.

He also asked the MK Stalin-led DMK why it was associating itself with the Congress.

Addressing a virtual rally of the BJP's state unit on completion of one year of the NDA's second term, Rao said during India's past wars of 1962 with China and those with Pakistan in 1965 and 1971, the Congress was ruling the country.

BJP stalwart and former Prime Minister, the late AB Vajpayee, had supported the government then, he said. "Now when our soldiers are fighting in the border, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi-- they are interested (and) looking at the Prime Minister's chair, chief minister's chair," he said.

"...(they are) interested in politics and power, not in the army's well-being and the nation's well-being," Rao said.

Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi have been critical of the government over the Sino-India faceoff at Ladakh, with a bloody conflict on June 15 resulting in the death of 20 Indian Army personnel, including a colonel. Rahul Gandhi, particularly, has been training his guns against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the matter.

Rao also attacked his party's arch-rival over the issue of alleged Chinese donation to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.

Before Modi took over in 2014, India's corruption and scandals were discussed everywhere but not any more, as the country has climbed many notches up on ease of doing business, from 162 to 43, he said.

Rao alleged that Congress leaders were worried over the performance of Modi in many sectors like these and therefore were raking up the border issue.

He further sought to know why the DMK, which had expressed support to the Centre on the border face-off, was associating itself with the Congress.

"Why are you associating with this party? I appreciate Stalin's decision (to back the Centre). But what is happening with Rahul? Taking money from China for RGF --don't you criticise this, condemn this, disown this?" he asked the DMK chief.

The DMK had in the all-party meeting convened by Modi recently extended its firm support to defend the nation's sovereignty and territorial integrity in the wake of face-off with China in Ladakh.