Neemuch, May 2:
BJP chief Amit Shah Thursday said that under the Narendra Modi regime, a bullet fired by Pakistan will be met with a shell from India’s side. Addressing an election rally here, Shah sought to underscore the difference between the approach of the previous UPA and that of the present NDA government to national security. The Manmohan Singh government did not say a word when terrorists from Pakistan “beheaded Indian jawans”, the BJP chief alleged. On the other hand, the Modi government carried out air strikes in Balakot in the neighboring country after 40 CRPF personnel were killed in Pulwama terror attack in February this year, he said. “Modi is a man with 56-inch chest. He gave orders to the Air Force and our fighter jets bombed Balakot, destroying terror camps,” Shah said. He alleged that the entire country celebrated India’s retaliation in Balakot, “but Pakistan and Rahul Baba (Congress president Rahul Gandhi) and Company were sad”. “Are they (terrorists) your (Congress leaders’) relatives? They (Gandhi and others) are sad because their vote-bank was sad,” the BJP president alleged. Referring to Congress leader and former technocrat Sam Pitroda’s reported statement that India should hold talks with Pakistan, Shah asked the gathering whether they favored dialogue with Pakistan or whether they wanted bombs dropped on terror camps after 40 Indian jawans were killed. “Bombs should be dropped,” people replied. “Rahul Baba and (Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister) Kamal Nath, listen carefully. If you want to talk to terrorists, do it. We have no issues,” Shah said. “But this is a BJP government. Narendra Modi is prime minister. If a bullet is fired from Pakistan, a (bomb) shell will be hurled in response (by India),” Shah added.
He also hit out at opposition leaders including SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and BSP supremo Mayawati for questioning the Balakot air strike.
