New Delhi, December 8: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Lt Gen (retd) D S Hooda's remarks that it would have been better if the 2016 surgical strikes were carried out secretly, alleging that the PM used the military action for "political capital".

Lt Gen (retd) Hooda, responding to a question during the Military Literature Festival in Chandigarh on Friday, had said in hindsight, it would have been better had "we done it (surgical strikes) secretly". Surgical Strikes Videos: Pakistan Rejects Footage, Calls it 'Figment of India's Imagination'.

Taking to Twitter, Gandhi said: "Spoken like a true soldier General. India is so proud of you. Mr 36 has absolutely no shame in using our military as a personal asset. "He used the surgical strikes for political capital and the Rafale deal to increase Anil Ambani's real capital by 30,000 Cr. #SurgicalStrike (sic)."

Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala thanked Lt Gen (retd) Hooda for "exposing the petty politicisation by PM Modi". "No one can use the valour & sacrifice of our brave soldiers to score cheap political points Modiji is squarely guilty of compromising National Security & Strategic Interests by unwarranted chest thumping!" he wrote on Twitter.

Lt Gen (retd) Hooda, who was the Northern Army Commander in September 2016 when Indian troops carried out surgical strikes on terror launch pads along the Line of Control, had also said that it was natural to have initial euphoria about the success but the constant maintenance of hype around the military operation was unwarranted.