Rahul Gandhi says paramilitary jawans killed in action will get 'martyr' status if Congress is voted to power

New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said paramilitary personnel who are killed in the line of duty will be accorded 'martyr' status if his party comes to power.

He said this in response to a question on 'martyr' status to the jawans during an interactive session with university students at the JLN Stadium here.

"I agree with you. Paramilitary jawans don't get 'martyr' status. They should get it, and if we come to power, they will be accorded that status," Rahul said.

His comment comes days after 40 CRPF jawans were killed in the Pulwama terror attack.

File photo of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi. PTI

"If you see, I am much in contact with paramilitary forces because of the security provided by them to me (during events). These jawans, whether from the CRPF, BSF, ITBP, or CISF, they suffer more casualties, but they get less infrastructure support, which is not good," Rahul said.

After the terror assault in Pulwama, the Congress president had tweeted, "The brave are martyred. Their families struggle. 40 Jawans give their lives but are denied the status of 'Shaheed'."

In response to another question, he said "violence could not be defeated with violence, but only conquered through love".

"When I went to Shamli to meet the family of a jawan killed in the Pulwama terror attack, I could relate to the sentiments," Rahul said. "My father was also killed by a bomb, I have been in that situation. I knew what it felt to know your father was blown to pieces."

Rahul said her grandmother and former prime minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her security guards with several rounds of bullets.

"Satwant Singh, who shot my dadi, taught me to play badminton... I had anger... But when my father came back and hugged me, my anger dissolved," he said. "So as someone who has lost two close family members to violence, if you ask me, if violence is the answer to that, I would still say no, it isn't."

"Those who have understood, felt violence will never think of violence as a solution. Violence is a never-ending cycle and can only be defeated by love," Gandhi said.

Look at history, Mahatma Gandhi, Buddha, Mahavira, King Ashoka, violence is never the answer to violence.