Second Mani Shankar Aiyar is born: Twitter reacts to Sam Pitroda's remarks on Balakot, 26/11
Close confidant of Rahul Gandhi and Chairman of the Overseas Indian National Congress questioned the death toll in the Balakot airstrike conducted by the Indian Air Force in Pakistan in retaliation to the Pulwama terror attack.
Close confidant of Rahul Gandhi and Chairman of the Overseas Indian National Congress questioned the death toll in the Balakot airstrike conducted by the Indian Air Force in Pakistan in retaliation to the Pulwama terror attack."If they (IAF) killed 300, its ok. All I am saying is can you give me more facts and prove it," said Pitroda in a wide-ranging interview to ANI.When asked on his views on the airstrike against the Jaish-e-Mohammad camp in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, he added that international news outlets had an alternate view of the impact of the air strike and that the people of India deserved to know the facts of the Air Force operation.
"I would like to know a little more because I read reports in the New York Times and other newspapers. Did we really attack? We really killed 300 people? I don't know that. As a citizen, I am entitled to know and if I ask it is my duty to ask, that doesn't mean I'm not a nationalist, That doesn't mean I am on this side or that side. We need to know the facts. If you say 300 people were killed, I need to know that. We all need to know that, people of India need to know that and then comes global media which says nobody was killed. I look bad as an Indian citizen," said Pitroda.
We could’ve sent our planes after 26/11 but that’s not the way: 7 shocking comments by Sam Pitroda
A lot of Twitter users felt that Pitroda's comment was remiscient of Mani Shankar Aiyar, who in the past has mocked PM Modi and called him a chaiwala.
Sam Pitroda, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's close confidant, on Friday said he is "baffled" at the response of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who slammed Pitroda for questioning the death toll in the Balakot air strike in Pakistan.
"I just said as a citizen I'm entitled to know what happened. I don't understand what is the controversy here, I am baffled at the response. Shows how people react to trivial matters in India," he said.
In an interview to ANI earlier on Friday, Pitroda, also the chairman of Overseas Indian National Congress, had questioned the death toll in the air strike by the Indian Air Force in Pakistan in retaliation to the Pulwama terror attack.
Reacting to the remarks, Prime Minister Modi hit out at Pitroda, tweeting that Pitroda "kick-started the Pakistan National Day celebrations on behalf of the Congress".
Pakistan observes its National Day on March 23.
"
What is the problem in raising a question? As a citizen in democracy, discussion, dialogue, debate, discourse is a way of life," Pitroda said.
BJP president Amit Shah and several other party leader also lambasted Pitroda for his comments in the interview