Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday distanced himself from senior party leader Digvijaya Singh’s remarks about the authenticity of surgical strikes in the aftermath of the 2019 Pulwama attack, saying the army does not need to provide any proof as he combated the fallout from Singh’s remarks, labelling them “outlying” or held by the fringe. This comes after Digvijaya Singh stated that there is no proof of the 2019 surgical strike against Pakistan, despite the fact that the Centre claims to have carried out the attack. Rahul Gandhi, who disagreed with Singh’s remarks, stated that those were Singh’s personal views.

The Wayanad MP, who is currently in Jammu for the Bharat Jodo Yatra, believes Digvijaya’s views are extreme. “We disagree with Digvijaya Singh’s personal viewpoints. His opinions are outliers. “We are absolutely clear that the Armed Forces do their job exceptionally well, and they do not need to provide proof of that,” Rahul Gandhi said during a press conference. He also discussed his meeting with a delegation of Kashmiri Pandits who have complained about being used for political gain. “I met with a delegation of Kashmiri Pandits yesterday. They have stated that they feel disrespected and used for political gain. They asked me to raise their concerns in parliament,” said the Congress MP.

When asked about the banned BBC documentary, he stated that the truth always comes out and that no amount of banning can prevent it from coming out. “The truth always comes out. “No amount of banning the press or using institutions like the ED and CBI against people can prevent the truth from coming out,” Gandhi said. Earlier in the yatra, an agitated Jairam Ramesh slammed the media on Tuesday, claiming that all that needed to be said about Digviajaya’s remark had already been said. The Prime Minister should now answer the questions. A day after Singh ruffled feathers and the Congress distanced itself from the leader, Ramesh, the party’s MP in charge of communication, told the media while walking for the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir that his party has answered all questions about the surgical strike uproar and that the media should direct its questions at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Digvijaya Singh trying to put an end to the row also said: “I have got the greatest regard for the Defence forces” as the leaders marched on along with other padayatris.

“The Congress Party said whatever it wanted. I mentioned it in a tweet yesterday. “I don’t want to say anything else,” he said. Ramesh claimed on Twitter that the UPA government had also carried out surgical strikes. “The views expressed by senior leader Digvijaya Singh are his own and do not reflect the position of the Congress. The UPA government used surgical strikes prior to 2014. “Congress has supported and will continue to support all military actions in the national interest,” Ramesh said on Twitter. “They (the Centre) talk about surgical strikes and killing so many of them, but there is no proof,” Digvijaya Singh said in a speech in Jammu on Monday.