BJP to focus on surgical strikes, elimination of Kashmiri militants in Gujarat campaign

New Delhi, Sept 30: Faced with high-stake assembly elections in Gujarat - once dubbed as pocket-borrow state for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP is all set to highlight nationalistic issues in the campaign. The party could also highlight the manner a number of Kashmiri terrorists have been eliminated lately. According to BJP sources, the party will also highlight surgical strikes carried out by Indian army last year. "There has been about 45 per cent drop in infiltration attempts.....Moreover, at least 175-180 militants and some top level leaders have been killed in J&K during last few months," a party source said. Among other issues, the BJP will also highlight issues like Triple Talaq and build up a case as to how the Narendra Modi's role in the entire narrative has brought "revolutionary results" in the matter. According to a senior party leader, "The message will be clear and definite that the surgical strikes carried out by Indian forces in September 2016 has hit at the morale of infiltrators and militant groups and also forced Pakistan reconsider their operational strategies". The party leader said, "I am not sure how much we can highlight before the people of Gujarat, but the fact of the matter is even Army Commander Lt Gen D S Hooda has said that surgical strikes have given India a moral victory". "The Modi government wanted to give out a clear message that if Pakistan does not give up its policies of interference in Jammu and Kashmir, Indian forces will not hesitate to initiate actions and hit Pakistani forces and terror camps even in their territory," he said adding therefore as a consequence Pakistani army has been even forced to "move or shift" their terror camps. As part of the electoral strategy, it is also clear that in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh polls - PM Modi will spend considerable time in campaigning and even address over 15 rallies in his home state alone. "Various developmental schemes like Mudra loan and Jan Dhan will be in the narratives and as such the Saubhagya Yojana on providing power to the poor people have been launched on September 25, 2017," the party leader said. UNI