Mumbai, March 9

Linking Pathankot and Pulwama terror attacks to elections, MNS chief Raj Thackeray today said another “Pulwama like strike” could occur in near future in a bid to win polls.

He also slammed as “insult to jawans” Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement that presence of Rafale jets could have added to more firepower to the February 26 raids by Air Force on a terrorist camp in Pakistan’s Balakot.

Thackeray was addressing party workers on the 13th Foundation Day of the MNS.

Thackeray alleged that the warnings issued by intelligence agencies prior to the Pulwama attack were ignored.

“Forty jawans were martyred in the Pulwama attack. Should we still not ask questions? In December, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval had met his Pakistani counterpart in Bangkok. Who will tell us what transpired at the meeting?” he said.

Taking a dig at BJP president Amit Shah’s statement on the number of casualties in the Balakot strike, the MNS chief said whether Shah was one of the the “co-pilots” who participated in the air strike.

Thackeray claimed the Indian Air Force “missed” targets it had intended to hit in Balakot because of “wrong information” provided to them by the Modi government.

“If the Prime Minister himself says that results would have been better had the country have Rafale jets, it was an insult to our jawans,” he said.

Disputing that terrorists were killed in the air raids, Thackeray said had that been the case, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman would not have been allowed to return home from captivity by Pakistan. — PTI