From Balakot airstrikes, 2019 election gamechanger, Jaitley discusses all in an interview with Zee News.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday said that there is only one gamechanger in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and that is none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In an exclusive interview to Zee News Editor-in-Chief of Zee News Sudhir Chaudhary, the BJP leader hailed the achievements of the Modi government and expressed confidence in BJP's return to power in 2019.
From Balakot airstrikes to Congress' promise of Rs 72,000 per year financial assistance to poor, the Finance Minister talked about all poll issues in the interview.
Here are the highlights of his interview:
1. 'There is only one gamechanger in this election and his name is Narendra Modi'
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"There is just one gamechanger in this election and his name is Narendra Modi. He is a strong leader, works for the development of the country, gives no space to the corrupt people and takes action on terrorism. There have been surgical strikes, air raids on terror camps and in this election, there is only one gamechanger," Jaitley said.
2. Jaitley slams dynastic politics of Congress
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Slamming dynastic politics of the Congress, Jaitley drew a comparison between Prime Minister Modi who he said comes from a poor background and Congress president Rahul Gandhi who comes from a political dynasty.
"On one side there is a leader who comes from a family where it is all about the dynasty. On the other side, we had a leader who came from a humble and poor background. He sold tea during his childhood to earn his living. All dynasty-based parties were demolished in the last Lok Sabha election," he said.
3. 'IAF strike in Pakistan's Balakot was not revenge attack'
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Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday said that Indian Air Force strike in Pakistan's Balakot was not a revenge attack and would have taken place even without Pulwama terror attack. This was because the Centre had intelligence reports of big terror camps with hundreds of terrorists being trained.
"Pulwama attackers and masterminds were liquidated by our forces and the Army. Balakot air strike would have taken place even without Pulwama as there were intelligence reports of big terror camps with hundreds of terrorists being trained. The strike would have been carried out to kill them. We could not have been idle and waited for the terrorists too come here and then kill them," Jaitley said.
4. Surgical strikes, airstrikes turning points for India
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Jaitley that at a time when the entire nation should have been unified, as many as 29 opposition parties raised questions on the airstrikes. Calling surgical strike and the IAF air raid as turning points, Jaitley came down heavily on the opposition parties and said that they were speaking in the same language as Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.
"Where we should have been united on Balakot air strike, 29 opposition parties raised doubts about the air raid. They demanded proof and even alleged that Narendra Modi allowed Pulwama for political gains during Lok Sabha election. They were speaking in the same language as Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan. The fools (opposition leaders) here have played into the hands of Pakistan," he said.
5. We will now be on front foot against terrorists: Jaitley
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"They (Pakistan) have been sending terrorists across the LoC and we were talking about the sanctity of LoC for the last several years. Now we will not be on the back foot but play the game on front foot and target terrorists at the origin point," the Finance Minister said.
6. Generational change in BJP: Jaitley on LK Advani, MM Joshi
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"There is always a generational change and that is what is happening in BJP. There is no exception to this and this was decided way back in 2014," the Finance Minister said when asked about Advani and MM Joshi not contesting the Lok Sabha election.
7. Full interview
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