From Anjali Sharma
NEW DELHI: The deep rooted links between Extremist Hindu outfits and the Indian army, for which the International media and particularly The Daily Mail had been writing a lot, went clearly exposed here on Monday when Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), comprising almost all the extremist and militant Hindu wings of India, released its political campaign’s posters, featuring the photograph of the Indian Army Chief, Bikram Singh. The photograph, used by BJP in its political campaign posters, shows Gen Bikram Singh saluting the coffins of some soldiers of Indian army.
The photograph of Indian Army Chief, used by BJP in its political posters.
Though the official sources in the Indian army say that the Army is thinking of taking up the issue with the Election Commission through proper channel, the political observers are of the very firm view that this development has completely exposed the deep nexus between the Indian army establishment and the hardcore Hindus in the garb of political outfits. This argument gets more weight when it is observed that the Indian army has not reacted officially to this development yet.
On the other side, the Congress party has sought de-recognition of BJP in the wake of “provocative” advertisement issued by it in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, where the national flag and the photo of the Army Chief were “used”.
Party spokesman Meem Afzal had said the AICC has approached the Election Commission over the advertisement which sends a “negative” image of the Congress. The complaint was against Madhya Pradesh Chief Mnister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and state BJP chief Narendra Singh Tomar.
Earlier, the nexus between the Indian Army and extremist Hindus was exposed by slain Chief of Mumbai’s Anti- Terrorism Squad Heman Karkare who completed his chargesheet against a serving officer of the Indian Military Intelligence, Lt. Colonel Srikant Purohit for organizing the Samjhota Express terror attack and the Malegaon bomb blasts with the connivance of Hindu extremists. Karakare investigations earned him an assassination under the cover of Mumbai attacks that have now been exposed as an act by India’s intelligence establishment with the support of Hindu extremists of Saffron terror Brigade. Karkare had named at least a dozen of serving and retired army officers of Indian army for running a terror outfit with the name of Abhinav Bharat, working terror attacks against Muslims and Pakistanis, following the agenda of forming a greater India, minus Pakistan in the region.
For the past many months, as BJP geared up its political campaign for the upcoming general elections against India, Indian military establishment and BJP leaders started a sort of joint campaign against Pakistan and Pakistan army with Indian Generals raising accusations against Pakistan Army and ISI and BJP leaders endorsing the same through political statements and rallies. This joint BJP-Army campaign against Pakistan and Pakistan army started earlier this year when Indian army blamed Pakistan army of beheading 2 Indian soldiers along LoC in January this year and is continuously going on with added energy and synergy as BJP is getting closer to the polls. Former Indian Army Chief, who has himself admitted of running a secret cell in the Indian army, titled, TSD (Technical Support Division) to run operations against Pakistan on Pakistan soil has already joined the BJP.
