Jaipur, Sep 13 (PTI) Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt on Tuesday targeted the Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra, saying those who "support" people raising anti-national slogans were taking out rallies to connect India.

He also expressed confidence that the BJP will form the government in Rajasthan next year with a two-third majority.

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Calling the Congress "irresponsible", he wondered how it could unite India as it opposed the scrapping of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and the 2016 surgical strikes.

"Those who pat the back of people raising anti-national slogans....are today saying they will unite India," Bhatt said in a veiled dig at the Congress.

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"Our Opposition is very irresponsible. In a democracy, it is very important for the Opposition to be responsible. In Parliament, it only follows a hit-and-run policy," the minister said without elaborating.

At a party event organised to launch a book on Prime Minister Narendra Modi titled 'Modi@2.0', he said, "The BJP is going to form the next government in Rajasthan with a two-third majority. The workers here are enthusiastic and dedicated."

Lauding the prime minister, he said it was because of him that Indian students could safely return to the country from Ukraine when Russia launched an offensive against it.

He said even Pakistani students who flew back to their country had hailed India and attributed their safety to the Indian flag.

During his two-day visit to Rajasthan, Bhatt also interacted with the soldiers and took stock of operational preparedness of the South Western Command, also known as Sapta Shakti Command.

Defence spokesperson Lt Col Amitabh Sharma said Bhatt arrived in Jaipur on Monday and was received by Lt Gen AS Bhinder, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Sapta Shakti Command.

He said Bhatt appreciated the jawans for their contribution in humanitarian aid and relief during the recent floods in the state. He also called upon jawans and officers to continue their work with the same enthusiasm.

Lt Col Sharma said the minister called upon MSMEs to invest more in research and development and promote manufacturing to the country's security and progress.

He also paid floral tributes at the war memorial to commemorate the sacrifice of those who lost their lives defending the country.

(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)