Mumbai: In a veiled dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over India's moves against Pakistan after the Uri attack, key BJP ally Shiv Sena on Monday said the neighbouring country's Premier Nawaz Sharif is now showing off a "56-inch chest".
The Sena also said it feared that India had been isolated in the world with its efforts yielding little result other than mere "lip service" by global leaders.
"All of India's efforts to forge global relations have proved futile as no country actually backed India over the Uri attack. Global leaders did mere lip service of condemning the terror attacks but the BJP's social media cell took some other meaning out of it and went to boast about how Pakistan has been isolated over the issue," an editorial in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' said.
In the run up to the 2014 Lok Sabha election campaign, Modi had famously claimed at a poll rally in Uttar Pradesh that a "56 inch chest" can solve problems faced by the country.
The Sena noted that neither Russia did stop its joint military drill with Pakistan nor China condemned the terror attacks.
Even Indonesia is offering Pakistan defence equipment and Islamic organisations are openly backing Pakistan while Nepal too wants to maintain good relations with it, the Sena said.
"During the 1971 war with Bangladesh, Russia had sent its troops to India to support Indira Gandhi. We cannot see such friendship today.
"You (the BJP) may keep on shouting that Pakistan has been isolated. But all your efforts are ultimately futile. We have started fearing if it is India which has actually been isolated over the Uri attack," it said.
"Pakistan has already declared war against India. They have shed blood of our soldiers right from Pathankot to Uri while we are only gloating by issuing threats to Pakistan. Mere words won't work now. It is time to give them a tit for tat reply," it added.
