Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurating a BSF project at Dhubri, Assam, on Tuesday. — @rajnathsingh/Twitter
Dhubri (Assam), March 5
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said the number of terrorists killed in the air strike by Indian Air Force on the training camp of Jaish-e-Mohammed in Pakistan’s Balakot would be known “today or tomorrow”.
He claimed that National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) system had informed about presence of around 300 active mobile phones at the site before the air strike by India.
Charging the opposition of doing politics over the strike, the Home Minister suggested the Congress to go to Pakistan and count the bodies if they want to know how many terrorists were killed.
“Some leaders of the other political parties are asking how many terrorists were killed in the IAF strike. Today or tomorrow, it will be known. Pakistan and their leaders’ heart know how many were killed,” Singh said while addressing the public after inaugurating a border project by the BSF.
He took a dig at the opposition for questioning the number of terrorists killed and said the parties were up to, “kitne mare, kitne mare?” (how many died?)
“Should our Air Force go and count the bodies after the attack — 1, 2, 3, 4, 5…? What is this joke,” he questioned.
“The NTRO, which has an authentic system, said that 300 mobile phones were active (at the Balakot site). Were these mobile phones used by the trees? Now will you (opposition) not believe the NTRO also?” Singh said.
He said politics should not be done only to form government, but it should be done to build the country.
“If my Congress friends feel that the numbers should be informed to them, then I would like to say that it you want to go to Pakistan, then go, count and ask people there that how many were killed by our Air Force jawans,” Singh said. — PTI
Shiv Sena joins chorus for details of Balakot strikes
Shiv Kumar
Tribune News Service
Mumbai, March 5
The Shiv Sena on Tuesday joined the opposition parties in demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi government provide details on the number of people killed in the airstrike on the terror training camp of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) camp at Balakot in Pakistan.
An editorial in party mouthpiece Saamna said Indians had a right to know how much harm has been inflicted on the enemy.
“We don’t think the morale of our armed forces would be lowered if we ask for details on the damage our air force inflicted on the enemy,” the editorial said.
The newspaper said the strike by the Indian Air Force at Balakot following last month’s suicide bombing of a CRPF convoy in Kashmir’s Pulwama has overshadowed the burning issues raised by the opposition parties in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections.
Echoing the opposition Congress party, Saamna pointed out the government needed to provide answers for the intelligence failure that led to the suicide bombing at Pulwama.
“Where did the 300-kg RDX used in Pulwama attack come from? How many terrorists were killed by our air force in the terror camps? People will discuss these issues instead of inflation, unemployment and the Rafale deal ahead of the elections,” Saamna said.
The newspaper further pointed out that the Modi government had dropped a bomb on these issues raised by the opposition and others like the construction of the Ram Mandir and farmers’ suicides as well.
After an uneasy relationship for the last five years, the BJP and the Shiv Sena announced an alliance for the Lok Sabha elections last
month. The Shiv Sena continues to attack the BJP though its tenor has toned down somewhat. Party chief Uddhav Thackeray had told reporters following the Balakot air strikes that political should not take credit for the achievements of the armed forces.