Amid a raging debate over the surgical strikes, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is understood to have cautioned his Cabinet colleagues on Wednesday against creating a hysteria over the military action against terror launch pads across the Line of Control (LoC).
During the Cabinet meeting, the Prime Minister is understood to have told his ministerial colleagues that only authorised people should speak on the issue of surgical strikes and one should avoid speaking out-of-turn, sources said.
His word of caution came against the backdrop of demands that the government should present proof about the cross-LoC raids to counter the smear campaign by Pakistan.
The demand has triggered a raging debate on whether the proof should be provided or not. The BJP and experts are against disclosing details of the operation by the Special Forces.
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A political slugfest broke out over the strikes, with Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam calling it “fake”, provoking stinging criticism from BJP even as his own party said it “totally dissociates” from his remarks.
{{/usCountry}}A political slugfest broke out over the strikes, with Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam calling it “fake”, provoking stinging criticism from BJP even as his own party said it “totally dissociates” from his remarks.
{{/usCountry}}The Congress leader went on to demand “some evidence” to prove the surgical strikes did take place and accused the Centre’s ruling BJP of indulging in politics over the issue.
With patriotic sentiments running high amid soaring tensions with Pakistan, Union minister Uma Bharti said leaders who cast “doubt over the army’s surgical strike should take Pakistani citizenship”.
Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence which was to meet on Thursday for a briefing by the representatives of the ministry of defence on ‘Surgical Strikes across the Line of Control (LoC)’ has decided to postpone the meeting. The panel will now meet on October 14.
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