BJP playing political football on security issue: Cong

Manish Tewari slammed Modi saying he could have shed some tears for those Congress leaders, who lost their lives fighting for nation's security

As BJP harped on the issue of Narendra Modi's security, Congress today attacked the opposition party holding its government in Chhattisgarh "directly responsible" for the elimination of entire Congress state leadership in the May 25 Maoist ambush in Bastar.

"...Those who make the security a political football should also look within their own conduct, character and comments.... The entire top leadership of Chhattisgarh Congress was wiped out and its direct responsibilty rests with Chhattisgarh government," Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari said.

He slammed Modi saying he could have shed some tears for those Congress leaders, who lost their lives fighting for nation's security.

"BJP never allows truth to stand in the way of myth-making," Tewari said accusing Modi and his party of "spreading lies" on a number of issues and misleading people.

Taking strong objection to Modi's remark that Congress has treated Chhattisgarh as a picnic spot, Tewari said, "the BJP has created a very peculiar picnic spot for Congress, where the entire top leadership of Congress was finished.

"BJP's Chhattisgarh government, which did not provide security for our party's Parivartan Yatra, was directly responsible for that. And here is the BJP's Prime Ministerial pretender.

"Perhaps it was wrong on our part to expect that he would at least shed two drops of tear for those who died fighting for national security."

Replying to questions about BJP's demand for SPG level security for Modi, he said the UPA government will provide "as much security as is needed for anybody" as it believes that whoever is in public life including from the rival parties should be protected.

The Congress leader's remarks came on a day when there was a political slugfest between Congress and BJP in Chhattisgarh, with Sonia Gandhi and Narendra Modi addressing a number of rallies in the Naxal-hit state.

Gandhi in her rally also referred to the May 25 naxal attack on Congress.