A day after terrorists attacked an Indian Air Force (IAF) convoy at the Sanai Top area in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district killing one soldier and injuring four others, several opposition leaders questioned the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the incident. Former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, however, triggered a major controversy by describing the incident as an “election stunt”.
Charanjit Singh Channi also claimed that the terror attack in Poonch was “orchestrated” by the Bharatiya Janata Party to “bolster its prospects in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections”. He went on to claim that the BJP is known for “playing with people’s lives and armed personnel”.
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Reacting sharply to Charanjit Singh Channi’s comments, BJP national spokesperson Ajay Alok said the former Punjab CM has “lost his mind”. “Does it suit a former chief minister to make such disgusting statements? Only the Congress party can do such petty politics over the jawans of the country. It is their culture,” he said.
BJP Punjab president Sunil Jhakar also slammed Channi’s “ghastly” and “shameful” statement and asked the Congress party and its allies to come clean on the issue.
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“Ghastly statement by CWC member Channi belittling the valour of our brave soldiers is no less a crime and an insult to the nation. Channi’s shameful statement on the attack on our Air Force personnel in Poonch calling their valour as a stunt shows the bankruptcy and frustration of Channi…The nation will not forgive him. He should hang his head in shame,” Jhakar said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Meanwhile, Union minister Anurag Thakur demanded an apology from the Congress brass, including former party president Sonia Gandhi, over Channi’s remark.
“I have a question for Congress: Were the 1962, 1965, and 1971 wars done for winning elections? On such a ridiculous statement, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi should apologise…They question the ability of our forces…How low will Congress stoop? Will Congress insult our Bravehearts for the sake of winning elections?” he questioned.
Other opposition leaders hit out at BJP
Meanwhile, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tej Pratap Yadav on Monday hit out at the BJP over the attack saying the ruling party has just made people “fight against each other” and caused “Hindu-Muslim differences”.
“Shaheed kinke wajah se huye? Modi ji ki wajah se huye. Pehle kahan koi shaheed hota tha? (who caused the martyrdom? It is because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Were there any martyrs before?” he further questioned.
Former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah hit out at the Centre over the attack in Poonch, saying that it indicates the situation in the union territory is “far from normalcy”. He also mocked the BJP government at the Centre over its claim to merge the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) with Jammu and Kashmir, saying, “They cannot handle one part but talking about taking another part which is not under their control”.
“We are again witnessing militancy in those areas which were militancy-free in the last five years. Two places need special mention. One is Srinagar where (terror) attacks repeatedly took place on police and minority community, and the Rajouri-Poonch area. We had almost made this area free from militancy when our party was in power. But the terror attack on the Indian Air Force on Saturday evening indicates that the situation is remote from normalcy,” he told the media.
Poonch terror attack
On Saturday evening, terrorists – believed to be four, attacked a convoy of the IAF in the Poonch district. While all the injured soldiers were evacuated immediately after the attack and taken to Udhampur Command Hospital for treatment, one of the five IAF personnel, identified as Corporal Vikky Pahade, lost his life.
According to a report by The Indian Express, the IAF convoy was the last of three vehicles moving from Jaranwalli Gali to Shahistar Top, adding that the terrorists first opened fire and hit the front windscreen of the convoy and later continued to shoot from the sides.
Reportedly, around 200 bullets were fired upon the vehicle within a span of 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, the Indian Army is carrying out a major search operation for the third straight day in the Shahsitar area of Surankote in Poonch district. According to the officials, armed bulletproof vehicles are patrolling the area, while a dog squad has been deployed to check vehicles, reported PTI.
