HARDOI: In the wake of the escalation in terrorist strikes along the Line of Control (LoC), Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday took potshots at Pakistan and dared the Nawaz Sharif government not to indulge in proxy war but have the guts to take India head on.
Rajnath, who addressed a rally in Hardoi district of Uttar Pradesh, said, “If someone wants to fight then it must be done boldly rather than attacking from behind. There is nothing like good or bad terrorist, a terrorist is a terrorist.The courageous is one who is ready to fight face to face.”
The Home Minister also expressed his ire over the recent terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir.
As per reports, the casualties suffered by the Indian Army in Jammu and Kashmir in 2016 alone is almost equal to the total combined number of soldiers killed in the last two years.
Justifying demonetisation as a step taken for the betterment of the country, Rajnath Singh said it has helped in checking terrorism and naxalism.
“The decision on note ban has not been taken either for ourselves or for a handful of people but for the entire country so that there is no scope left for corruption,” he said at BJP’s ‘Parivartan rally’ at ITI ground here.
“Opposition parties did not allow debate on the issue in Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha by creating pandemonium…so we will discuss this issue at public forum and meetings,” he said, adding, “those doing work can sometimes make a mistake but this does not mean we have made a mistake.”
Exhorting Pakistan to stop encouraging terrorism in India, Singh said only the cowards take help of terror.
He said terrorism is not a good or bad issue, terrorism is terrorism.
Referring to his Pakistan visit, Singh said that on coming to know about protests there ahead of his visit, he decided to go himself rather than sending anyone else as he thought it was best to discuss deeds of Pakistan on its own soil rather than any other land.
Promising good governance in UP if voted to power in the Assembly polls next year, Singh said his party was into politics not for forming government but for strengthening the country.
“We do not do politics to form government but to make the country,” he said, adding BJP was in power in Uttar Pradesh for a very brief time but it never compromised on corruption.
“On the other hand, BSP and SP have been in power for a long time but neither unemployment nor corruption has been checked,” he said.
“Goondaraj is continuing in the state…on coming to power no goonda or mafia will be able to roam about freely in the state,” he warned.
Recalling the six years of Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, he said no one could raise a finger at its functioning whereas there had been dozens of scams during Congress governments.
“After Vajpayee, Narendra Modi is working to uplift the country at the global level,” he said, noting that his party was not against any particular person but against any wrong.
Singh also had a dig at Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi for his claims of having evidence which will bring an earthquake, saying the young Congress leader has been speaking all this while but there has never been any movement anywhere.