'The committee was only for optics', Union Minister Arun Jaitley lashes out at Rahul Gandhi appointed national security committee

Responding to Rahul Gandhi’s announcement on March 31, that Lt. General D.S. Hooda had submitted his comprehensive report on India’s National Security, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley slammed the Congress on Wednesday saying that the committee appointed by Congress President to prepare the Party's National Security manifesto is just for optics. He further questioned whether any of the ‘objected suggestions’ been incorporated in the Hooda report.

On February 21, Lt. Gen (Retd) DS Hooda, a former Northern Army commander and the main architect of the 2016 surgical strikes on terror launch pads in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) had been appointed by the Indian National Congress (INC) to head the party's task force on national security.

Retorting to this development, Jaitley had written in his blog that the appointment of the architect of the surgical strike was a grudging recognition and acceptance of the surgical strikes of 2016 by the INC. He had also stated a number of suggestions to be considered by the committee.

READ | "Appointing Lt Gen (Retd) Hooda As Task Force Head Is Grudging Acceptance By Congress Of Surgical Strikes," Says Arun Jaitley. Read Here

After weeks of research and analysis, on March 31, Lt. Gen (Retd) DS Hooda had submitted his report to Rahul Gandhi. This was announced by Gandhi via tweet that the report would be discussed and debated by the INC first:

Earlier, on February 26, Lt. Gen (retd) DS Hooda had called the Balakot strike on the Jaish-e-Mohammed camps across the Line of Control, an outstanding decision by the government.

"I think it is an outstanding decision by the government. I think this was very badly needed after the attack in Pulwama. And a strong message has been given out and it has gone out. That we are not going to take these things lying down and we will the strike in Pakistan territory when they dare do attack on our security forces in Jammu and Kashmir. So, my compliments to everyone involved," he said.