Modi slams INDIA, accuses it of making Army a 'weapon of politics'

Hoshiarpur, May 30 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday sharpened his attack against the INDIA bloc, accusing it of making the Army a "weapon of politics" and said there cannot be a "bigger sin than this".

Modi further hit out at the opposition, alleging that the Congress and "INDI alliance" never left any effort in weakening the Indian armed forces.

Modi was addressing his last poll rally of the Lok Sabha polls here.

His attack came in the backdrop of the Congress and INDIA bloc members targeting the Narendra Modi government over the Agnipath scheme.

Notably, the Congress has said it will scrap the Agnipath scheme if the INDIA bloc comes to power.

Modi said it was his target to make the Indian defence forces as the most modern and capable force, self-reliant in the real sense.

But this initiative blocks the ways for the "INDIA alliance" to make black money. Therefore, they are taking out anger against "Modi", he said.

"It is clear that we need to keep all things in mind to see with whom we fight... and we have to prepare our army accordingly," he said.

The prime minister said armies are not made only for the Republic Day parade. The Army is made for a fight, to defeat an enemy and to save our motherland, he said.

But the opposition made the Army as a weapon of politics, Modi alleged, and added that there cannot be a bigger sin than this.

"I am telling the INDIA alliance that I am silent. Do not make any mistake in understanding Modi. The day Modi opens his mouth, I will bring out all your sins out -- 'saat peedhi ke paap' (sins of seven generations)," he said.

Modi said Punjab is a land of brave and valour but the INDIA bloc insulted the brave at each step.

"They are those people who had insulted our late Army chief Bipin Rawat, calling him 'gali ka gunda'. It was not only the insult of General Rawat but also of each soldier of the country," said the prime minister.

He targeted the opposition leaders, saying they are those people who had sought proof of the surgical strike.

"They are those people who gave clean chit to China during the 1962 Indo-China war. They insult the Indian Army every other day," he said.

Modi said the Congress and the INDIA bloc never spared not a single effort in weakening the Army.

Training guns on the Congress, Modi referred to the Jeep scam, Bofors, submarine and Army truck scam and said they never cared about the requirements of the Army.

"They only made plans to loot and empty the government exchequer by indulging in corruption, " he alleged.

He accused the Congress of putting the Tejas fighter plane project in cold storage.

"They kept the issue of CDS (Chief of Defence staff) hanging for many years. They are those people who did not allow important reforms for many years to modernise the Army," he said.

He again targeted the Congress over the issue of One Rank One Pension (OROP), saying it lied to the ex-servicemen for 40 years on this.

"How they throw dust in the eyes of soldiers," he said, recalling that it was his government which implemented OROP. PTI