New Delhi/Ahmedabad: Defence minister Manohar Parrikar on Monday appeared to give credit to “RSS teaching” for the decision to launch cross-LoC surgical strikes even as he slammed those seeking proof for the Indian Army’s anti-terror operation in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
“I wonder, with the combination of Prime Minister who comes from Mahatma Gandhi’s home state, and I, Defence Minister, coming from Goa which never had any martial race, and surgical strikes. May be the RSS teaching was at the core, but this was quite a different kind of combination,” Parrikar said in remarks that may trigger a row.
Parrikar was speaking at a function, ‘Know my Army’, organised at Nirma University in Ahmedabad. Speaking about the offensive that the commandos of 4 Para and 9 Para mounted across the Line of Control (LoC) in PoK as surgical strikes on the intervening night of September 28 and 29, defence minister Manohar Parrikar said on Monday that when the Indian Army says something it should be believed as they are the world’s best.
Speaking about some of the politicians raising question on the strike, Parrikar said: “From the day of the strike till today, some politicians are seeking proof. When Indian Army says something we should believe it. It (Army) is world’s best, professional, brave and having a very high integrity”.
A few hours after the strike on September 28-29, the Director General of Military Operations Lt Gen Ranbir Singh had claimed that Indian forces had indeed conducted incisive operations.
The Special Forces action was in response to a daring attack by four Pakistani-backed militants inside an Army camp in Kashmir’s Uri where 19 soldiers were killed.
“Two good things have happened after the surgical strikes. First thing is (that) except some politicians, every Indian is rising in unison and standing behind our brave soldiers. And the second thing is we (Indians) have acquired sensitivity regarding national security in a very effective way,” the minister said.
“Ceasefire violations from the Pakistan side are regularly taking place for the last five-six years. You can take out figures. But the only thing that has changed now is that we are giving effective reply,” he said.
