The BJP is keen to reap electoral dividends in the wake of the United Nations Security Council declaring Pakistan-based head of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) Masood Azhar a global terrorist.

Addressing a joint press conference on Thursday with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman made no secret of her party’s intention when she said that the party would go to the people and tell them that it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “persistent efforts” that resulted in UNSC naming Azhar a global terrorist.

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The BJP has been targeting the Congress party after China exercised its veto in the UNSC for the fourth time in March this year since the 2016 Pathankot attack by JeM to derail attempts to get Azhar designated a global terrorist.

The political bitterness between BJP and Congress reached a new high when BJP squarely blamed Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, great grandfather of Congress president Rahul Gandhi, for “handing over the UNSC membership to China”.

“China wouldn’t be in UNSC had your great grandfather not ‘gifted’ it to them at India’s cost. India is undoing all mistakes of your family. Be assured that India will win the fight against terror. Leave it to PM Modi while you keep cosying up with the Chinese envoys secretly,” the BJP had tweeted recently.

Sharpening the attack further, Jaitley said it was unfortunate that for the Opposition, UNSC naming of JeM head was no occasion to celebrate. He said for the Opposition it was an occasion to take exception to such action against JeM. He said the Opposition was reluctant to present a united front on the issue before the world.

Jaitley said the Congress and other Opposition parties’ stand on the issue was in stark contrast to the rest. He also rubbished the Congress argument that UNSC did not mention Pulwama terror attack neither did it mention Masood Azhar. He said UNSC designation of Masood was no “bio-data” of the JeM head.

Sitharaman said it was imperative to underline the fact that Pakistan was a land of 35 terrorist outfits. She pointed out that Masood Azhar’s JeM was one of these outfits. She gave Prime Minister Modi credit for JeM being designated a global terrorist calling it a “massive diplomatic victory”.