"These people make agreements with terrorists": BJP's Ravi Shankar Prasad slams Charanjit Channi over his "stuntbaazi" remark
Patna: Reacting sharply to former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi's alleged remarks on the recent terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch, Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Ravi Shankar Prasad asked on Monday and said, "These people make agreements with terrorists."
"What can we say if they are making such statements on national security? Are they speaking in favour of the terrorists? After Uri and Balakote, Rahul Gandhi asked for proof. They said that we do politics on martyrdom. The same is happening now. These people make agreements with terrorists. They take no action against PFI because they want a vote bank. Those who have done this will be finished but martyrdom should not be mocked," he said.
An Indian Air Force soldier was killed and four others injured in the terror attack in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday evening.
Pointing out that the attack came amid the Lok Sabha elections, former CM Charanjit Singh Channi alleged on Sunday that 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.
The remarks from the Congress Working Committee member attracted sharp criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Union Minister Anurag Thakur came down heavily on Channi's remarks and questioned Congress about the terror attacks that took place during its tenure in the past. He also demanded an apology from top Congress brass, including former party chief Sonia Gandhi for Channi's remarks.
BJP leader Sushil Kumar Rinku condemned the former CM's remarks and demanded an apology to the entire country in this regard.
Meanwhile, the mortal remains of an Indian Air Force soldier, Corporal Vikky Pahade who succumbed to injuries sustained in a terror attack on Saturday evening, arrived in his hometown in Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara for last rites on Monday.
The Indian Army has launched a major search operation in the Shahsitar area of Surankote in Poonch district following a terrorist attack on an Indian Air Force (IAF) convoy.
According to the officials, as part of the ongoing operation, armed bulletproof vehicles are patrolling the area, while a dog squad has been deployed to check vehicles. The search operation aims to track down the terrorists responsible for the attack and ensure the safety of civilians in the region.