Refuting claims made by Congress leaders including former Union ministers P Chidambaram and A K Antony that ‘surgical strikes’ were also carried out in 2013 during UPA regime, the then Director General of Military Operation (DGMO) Lt Gen Vinod Bhatia has said that the Indian Army’s retaliation post Uri cannot be compared with those operations.
"Earlier strikes, they were not even strikes, they were cross-border operations done at the local level," Lt Gen Vinod Bhatia told a news channel.
"In fact, these (surgical strikes) have given us the returns that we wanted and it had different ramifications — that is why there is so much political hullabaloo around it. I don’t think we should question the Army, I don’t think it is right. The DGMO of the Indian Army and the Army chief should not be questioned on it," he added.
Soon after the Indian Army claimed to have carried out the surgical strikes across the LoC to avenge Uri attacks, Congress leaders including the former Union ministers had claimed that similar strikes were carried out during UPA regime as well.
"On many occasions during the UPA regime, when there were provocative attacks from the rival side, the Indian Army conducted surgical strikes and other retaliatory attacks across LoC." P Chidambaram had told The Economic Times.
Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala had even given the dates of the strikes.
"We are proud that even in the past our forces have successfully conducted such surgical strikes on numerous occasions, particularly on September 1, 2011, July 28, 2013 and January 14, 2014, giving a befitting reply to the enemy," Surjewala said.
However, Lt Gen Bhatia has a completely different take on the two operations.
"I am a soldier and I belong to the Indian Army, which is totally apolitical — dedicated, committed and professional. Now, let us put the surgical strikes in the correct contextual framework. These surgical strikes are in a different domain, they are a defining moment, where all elements of national power, that is the diplomatic, informational, military, economic, political, cultural — have synergised, and for the first time, India has given a befitting response to terrorist operations in the counter-terror domain," he said.
"These are surgical strikes, properly planned, well deliberated operations and they have been orchestrated extremely well, and I am a very proud soldier today, I am a very proud Indian today that we have given a response and shown our strategic restraint," he added.
