New Delhi: The Congress on Monday hit out at Amit Shah for politicising the air strikes by the Indian Air Force (IAF) in Pakistan’s Balakot after the BJP chief said on Sunday that over 250 terrorists were killed in the operation.
Shah, who was addressing an election rally in Gujarat, said after the February 14 Pulwama attack in which over 40 CRPF men were killed, “everyone thought there could be no surgical strikes”. “But under (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi's leadership, the government carried out an air strike and killed more than 250 terrorists,” the BJP chief said. Neither the government nor the air force has released any official figure on the casualties after the IAF action.
He also hit out at the Opposition for demanding proof of the air strikes, saying such statements “brought a smile to Pakistan's face”. “If they cannot support the armed forces, they should at least learn to keep quiet,” he added.
Shah’s statements, however, did not go down well with the Congress, with senior leader Manish Tewari accusing the BJP of “milking” the air strikes for political gains.
AVM RGK Kapoor said "it would be premature to say that what is the number of casualties that we have been able to inflict on those camps and what is the number of deaths," BUT @AmitShah says over 250 Terrorists killed in airstrike. Is this not milking Air Strikes for Politics????— Manish Tewari (@ManishTewari) 4 March 2019
Former finance minister P Chidambaram too said he was ready to believe the government but if the Centre wanted the world to believe the air strikes and their impact on terror camps in Pakistan, then the Prime Minister must desist from Opposition bashing. He also asked who had put out a figure of 300-350 casualties in the air strike.
As a proud citizen I am prepared to believe my government. But if we want the world to believe, government must make the effort, not indulge in Opposition-bashing.— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) 4 March 2019
Twelve Indian Air Force Mirage-2000 jets crossed the Line of Control (LoC) early last week and destroyed terror camps of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed in Balakot. The air strike came two weeks after a terror attack on CRPF soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama. The issue, however, turned political after several opposition leaders raised doubts on the veracity of the claims and demanded proof of the destroyed camps.
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