Whenever Defence Minister Mohan Parrikar speaks on surgical strikes, the Congress party becomes worried. Congress leaders fear Prime Minister Narendra Modi may gain politically from the army action. On Wednesday, when Parrikar said earlier army actions during UPA rule were not surgical strikes, the Congress spokesman Randeep Surjewala used caustic language (chullu bhar paani) for the Defence Minister, whereas such language is normally not used in discourse on national security. One is reminded of Rahul Gandhi, who made the “khoon ki dalaali” remark against Modi, and the party had to face embarrassment. Some Congress leaders tried to defend him saying, the word ‘dalaali’ might have slipped out of Rahul’s tongue, whereas he wanted to use some other word. Kapil Sibal tried hard to explain at a press meet by saying, ‘do not go by words, understand his feelings’, but what Surjewala said on Wednesday clearly shows what the Congress is worried about. This was clear from none other than another party leader Manishankar Aiyar, who said the army’s surgical strike may politically benefit the BJP in elections. Maybe the Congress did not like the Defence Minister being felicitated in Uttar Pradesh, but it would be better if the Congress counters it politically. The language that the party leaders are using may harm the party in the long run. Manishankar Aiyar had once remarked that if Modi lost the Lok Sabha elections, he would be selling tea at AICC meetings, and the rest is history.