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Modi has my support, he acted like PM for 1st time: Rahul on ‘surgical strikes’

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said on Friday he supported Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “acting like a PM” over the Indian Army’s surgical strikes on terror launchpads across the de-facto border with Pakistan.

Updated on: Sep 30, 2016, 16:05:13 IST
Hindustan Times | By , New Delhi
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Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said on Friday he supported Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “acting like a PM” over the Indian Army’s surgical strikes on terror “launchpads” across the de-facto border with Pakistan.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said on Friday he supported Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision of “surgical strikes” on terror targets across the de-facto border with Pakistan. (PTI Photo)
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said on Friday he supported Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision of “surgical strikes” on terror targets across the de-facto border with Pakistan. (PTI Photo)

“The Congress and entire India stand by him over this (surgical strikes),” Gandhi said at a rally.

Gandhi is on a 2500km ‘Kisan Yatra’ across Uttar Pradesh, seeking to revive the Congress in a state it dominated before regional parties built along caste lines displaced it from power 27 years ago.

Gandhi, however, also took a dig at Modi: “I want to thank him for taking an action like a PM for the first time in two-and-a-half years. I support him entirely.”

All political parties on Thursday firmly backed the Modi government on the strikes on seven terror targets, India’s first military response to an attack in Uri that killed 18 soldiers, and lauded the army for ensuring the country’s security.

“This is a strong message that conveys our country’s resolve to prevent further infiltration and attacks on our security forces and our people,” a statement by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi read.

Her party supported the government in its actions to protect the country’s security and deal with the menace of terrorism from across the border, she said. The same sentiments were expressed during the meeting by all sides.

All political parties unanimously supported the army action across the LoC, information and broadcasting minister M Venkaiah Naidu said.

The move by the government could have wide domestic and security implications for India, where a narrative of a triumphant military campaign could influence a series of impending state polls. It could also trigger a possible escalation in tensions along the Line of Control (LoC).

  • Nisheeth Upadhyay
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    Nisheeth Upadhyay

    Nisheeth Upadhyay is Editor and Chief Operating Officer at Hindustan Times Digital, where he is responsible for editorial strategy and growth, strengthening audience engagement and leading business functions. He began his journey as a journalist in the Hindustan Times newsroom in 2011, working closely with the print operations. In his first stint with the HT Media group, he worked as the Production Editor for the newspaper, coordinating production across desks, and planning the daily news schedule and long-term projects. He also worked as the Homepage Editor and Shift Head for www.hindustantimes.com, managing and editing the news sections of the website. During this time, he picked up skills in tracking and writing breaking news. He later worked at ThePrint as Editor (Operations), acting as a member of the core editorial leadership. His responsibilities in the digital-only newsroom included heading the Integrated Desk, the infographics and photojournalism sections and operations for Hindi, Tamil and Marathi languages. He also anchored two weekly video shows on YouTube, AISight and Everybody’s Business. Nisheeth’s work reflects a commitment to maintaining journalistic rigor while navigating the fast-evolving challenges and shifting opportunities in digital news media.Read More

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