Rahul's comments should not be seen out of context: Cong

Lucknow, Oct 7: Senior Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Raj Babbar today defended party vice-president Rahul Gandhi's "dalali" barb, saying it should not be seen "out of context".

"All Congressmen have immense faith in the army whether it is me, Rahul Gandhi or party president Sonia Gandhi. We salute the army personnel and are with them...but, we are against political propaganda," Congress general secretary (in-charge of party affairs in Uttar Pradesh) Azad told reporters here.

"It was a way of expressing and it should not be seen out of context. We support the army and there is no question on that...we are against politicisation of the army action," said Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Babbar, while flaying the BJP for "attempting to cook up a controversy over the remark for political gains".

The duo also took on BJP president Amit Shah for his remarks on Gandhi earlier in the day and alleged that Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, who was yesterday felicitated in Uttar Pradesh for the army's recent surgical strikes in PoK, did not utter a word about the five army jawans from the state who were killed in the Uri terror attack.

"Rahul Gandhi has proved that his politics is for the poor and the deprived and he will continue to raise his voice for them," actor-turned-politician Babbar said.

The two leaders flagged off the 'Rahul Sandesh Yatra' which will spread the message on the issues raised by the Congress vice-president during his 26-day 'Deoria to Dilli Kisan Yatra' across the state.

As a follow up to the yatra which concluded at Delhi yesterday, Uttar Pradesh Congress will take 'Rahul Sandesh Yatra' to all the 75 districts of the state from October 13-27 in the run-up to the Assembly election due early next year.

PTI