Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday hit out at People's Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti for expressing “solidarity” with Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut.
"Right now, there is a war going on between Israel and Palestine. The Israeli army killed Hezbollah commander Hassan Nasrullah. That is their country's business. But today, in Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti says she will not campaign because she is sad that Hasan Nasrullah has been killed. I want to ask Mehbooba, Farooq Abdullah, and Rahul Gandhi: When terrorists kill Hindu soldiers, do you feel sad or not?" ANI quoted Sarma as saying at an election rally in poll-bound Haryana's Sonipat.
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Sarma's attack comes a day after former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti cancelled her poll campaign on Sunday “in solidarity with the martyrs of Lebanon & Gaza, especially Hassan Nasrallah.”
“Cancelling my campaign tomorrow in solidarity with the martyrs of Lebanon & Gaza especially Hassan Nasarullah. We stand with the people of Palestine & Lebanon in this hour of immense grief & exemplary resistance,” Mufti had posted on X.
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The BJP has slammed Mufti over her gesture towards the slain Hezbollah leader.
“Why does Hassan Nasarullah's death pain Mehbooba Mufti? When Hindus in Bangladesh are attacked and killed, they are tight-lipped. Today, when the commander of Hezbollah gets killed, they cancel the campaigning for one day. These are crocodile tears and people understand the intent behind this. This kind of conspiracy will lead to nothing; we should speak on the lines of humanity,” former J&K deputy CM Kavinder Gupta was quoted by ANI as saying.
Hassan Nasrallah eliminated in Israeli airstrikes
On Saturday, the Israeli military said it eliminated 64-year-old Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike in Lebanon capital Beirut.
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"Hassan Nasrallah is dead," military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani announced on X.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu described the killing of Nasrallah as a necessary step toward "changing the balance of power in the region for years to come."
"Nasrallah was not a terrorist, he was the terrorist," Netanyahu said in a statement, warning of challenging days ahead.
Hezbollah later confirmed the killing of Nasrallah.
(With PTI, ANI inputs)