Charanjit Singh Channi clarifies "stuntbaazi" remark, says "statement was distorted"

Jalandhar: Former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi issued a clarification on Monday over his alleged remarks on the recent terror attack incident in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch and said that his statement was "distorted."
Channi said that he intended to point out that a "similar attack" took place during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections referring to the Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed by terrorists.
"My statement was distorted. What I meant to say was that a similar attack had taken place during the last Lok Sabha elections also. But it was not investigated by BJP and till now it is not known who was involved in the said attack," Channi said in a self-made video released today after his remarks stirred a controversy.
Channi alleged that Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar had demanded the Prime Minister's resignation following the terror attack in 2019 adding that Jakhar has "no stand."
"Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar had asked for PM Modi's resignation over the last attack. This attack was carried out as part of a conspiracy. This statement was given by Jakhar on stage. Jakhar has no stand. Satyapal Malik, who was the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, had said about the last attack that such attacks can happen again. But the government did not take the gist of the said complaint," the former CM said.
Channi claimed that the BJP was turning the death of soldiers into a political stunt.
"I feel sad when the soldiers of my country are martyred. But BJP is making it its stunt. We are proud of the jawans who joined the armed forces to safeguard the country. I gave a statement that in the last Parliamentary elections, 40 jawans were attacked and they lost their lives," he said.
"To date, the Government has not found out who executed the attack and who was responsible for it. It is election time once again. Our jawans were attacked once again and one jawan lost his life. I would like to ask the Government - who are those people who orchestrate such attacks, why are they not brought before everyone, and why does intelligence failure take place? Jawans have lost their lives once again. What I am saying is that why is this being made a political stunt and used by BJP?" PM Modi said.
"In Patiala, a farmer died yesterday while protesting against BJP. BJP wants to destroy the economy of Punjab. They know that if we destroy agriculture, Punjab will sink," he added.
An Indian Air Force officer was killed and four others injured in the terror attack in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday.
Pointing out that the attack came amid the Lok Sabha elections, former CM Charanjit Singh Channi had on Sunday alleged it was "pre-planned" and such "stuntbaazi" is done to facilitate BJP's win in the polls.
"This is stuntbaazi. When elections come, such stunts are done to make the BJP win. These are pre-planned attacks, there is no truth in them," Channi said while speaking to reporters in Punjab.
Following Channi's comments, Union Minister Anurag Thakur demanded an apology from top Congress brass including former party president Sonia Gandhi.
"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?" Thakur said while speaking to reporters on Sunday.
Meanwhile, security has been heightened in the Poonch district following the attack incident. Security forces are carrying out regular checks of the vehicles passing by in the area.
The voting in Jammu and Kashmir is being held in five phases and the polling in Anantnag-Rajouri is scheduled to be held on May 7 in the third phase.