Some opposition politicians wanted the government to provide 'proof' of the strike.
Amid the raging debate over releasing the video of the Army-led cross-LoC surgical strikes, Union Minister Hansraj Ahir said that it was for the Prime Minister to decide whether the footage should be made public or not. "The PM will take a decision on whether to release the video handed over to the government by the Army," he said. "It is unfortunate to indulge in politics over the surgical strikes. This has maligned the image of the Army," he said.
To a question on efforts undertaken by the Central government to bring home Chandu Babulal Chavan, the 22-year-old soldier of the 37 Rashtriya Rifles captured by Pakistani forces, the Union Minister of State for Home said, "We are making all efforts to bring him back. We will definitely bring him back. However, one cannot say how much time it will take."
On Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam's remark terming the surgical strikes as "fake", Ahir said, "Nirupam was in Shiv Sena and could not stay loyal to (the late Sena founder) Bal Thackeray. How can he be loyal to Congress?"
Earlier, a news report claims that a senior Pakistani police official admitted that the strikes did take place. A report on CNN-News 18claimed that disclosures by Ghulam Akbar, SP of Mirpur range in PoK, admitted that surgical strikes took place in the early hours of September 29. Thinking that he was speaking to his superior IG Mushtaq, Ghulam Akbar, SP (Special Branch) of the Mirpur Range in PoK, revealed details about the strike. The report further claimed that bodies of terrorists were also removed by the Pak military. The SP also said the Pakistani Army took away the dead bodies in ambulances, adding that they may have been buried in villages. Akbar also claimed that 5 Pak armymen had died which contradicts Pakistan's claim that two soldiers had died in the cross-firing.
BJP slams Kejriwal
Earlier, BJP leader Shahnwaz Hussain dubbed Kejriwal’s comment as extremely unfortunate and said that this was not expected from a person, who floated his party based on the ideology of veteran social activist Anna Hazare.
‘The country never imagined that the person who formed his party post Anna’s movement, someone who uses the slogan ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’, someone who waves the tricolour and the public of Delhi adored and chose him to be the Chief Minister of Delhi and he would point a finger at the decision of the Indian Army,’ Hussain said.
‘Arvind Kejriwal’s comment is a comment that helps Pakistan. Today, the Pakistan TV channels have published bigger pictures of Arvind Kejriwal, Digvijaya Singh and P. Chidambaram than their own soldiers. Pakistan is taking the help of the comments by these politicians to support their propaganda against India,’ he added.
Stating that nobody doubts the surgical strikes, the BJP leader said the politics being played by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress on this sensitive issue is angering the nation.
‘You can criticize the BJP or Narendra Modi, but the nation won’t tolerate if you point fingers at the operations of the Indian Army,’ he added.
Hussain told ANI that this was all being done by Kejriwal to divert the attention from his AAP colleagues, who have been accused in several scandals.
The BJP leader also appeared to be in tune with Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharati’s statement that anyone who doubts the surgical strikes should take up Pakistani citizenship and said the comments of Kejriwal and the Congress have strengthened the Pakistani side.
‘If they stay in Delhi and strengthen the opposite side, no one will accept it here,’ he added while asserting that Pakistan is repeatedly violating the ceasefire and this reflects their frustration post the surgical strikes.
Under fire Kejriwal, however, later defended his remark and said that evidence of the surgical strikes should be released to counter Pakistan's propaganda and its denial of the strikes.
"BJP, I m convinced that strikes took place. But intl media publishing Pak propaganda that no strike took place. Let’s expose Pak propaganda," Kejriwal tweeted in response to the criticism by the BJP.
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