Dehradun, Dec 16 (PTI) The BJP on Thursday accused the Congress of using the photograph of Gen Bipin Rawat who was killed in a recent helicopter crash for purely political reasons ahead of elections, and asked it to explain why one of its leaders had once described the country's first Chief of Defence Staff as a "roadside hooligan".

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who launched his party's campaign for the Uttarakhand assembly polls with a rally at the Parade Ground here on Thursday, began his address after offering flowers at a framed picture of Gen Rawat on the dais and observing a two-minute silence to pay tribute to him.

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Addressing a press conference later, Uttarakhand BJP president Madan Kaushik said, "By putting up a cut-out of Gen Rawat at its rally here Congress is now talking about honouring armed forces personnel. One of the party's senior leaders, Sandeep Dikshit, had called Gen Rawat a roadside hooligan. Is that how the armed forces are honoured?"

Dikshit had later apologised for his remarks.

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Questioning the sincerity of the "sudden surge of feelings" on part of the Congress in the election season, Kaushik said the entire country mourning the loss of Gen Rawat, his wife and other armed forces personnel in the tragic helicopter crash has seen Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra dancing to the beats of "dhols and nagadas" at a party programme in Goa.

"Congress had asked for proof of the surgical strike and the Balakot air strike, but is now speaking of honouring the armed forces," Kaushik said.

Criticising the Congress, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala tweeted, "Shameless Congress Party puts pics of Rahul Gandhi along with martyrs on Shraddhanjali wall! Even here they cannot honour soldiers without parivar bhakti? Disrespecting martyrs. Congress has DNA of disrespecting armed forces. They had called Bipin Rawat ji 'Sadak Ka Gunda'."

Assembly polls in Uttarakhand are due early next year.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)