Kathua: India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership has shown to the world that it has the power to hit its targets within and across the border in the aftermath of Uri and Pulwama attacks, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Monday.
Addressing an election rally in support of BJP candidate Jitendra Singh here, he said, “Earlier India was considered as a soft state…India has neither attacked any country nor occupied any foreign land which is its character.”
“But when Uri and Pulwama happened, India gave a strong message that we will not touch anyone but if touched by someone we will not leave them,” he added.
Singh, Union Minister of state in the Prime Minister’s office, is seeking his re-election for the third term from Udhampur parliamentary constituency which is going to polls in the first phase on April 19.
“We have the capability and power to hit (our targets) anywhere within and across our borders. The power of India increased in the world (after the surgical strikes),” he said, giving credit to Prime Minister Modi’s leadership.
Referring to the safe evacuation of over 22,500 Indian students in the midst of war between Ukraine and Russia in early 2022, he said the fighting between the two countries stopped for over four hours after Modi established contact with the presidents of the two countries and the US.
“The concerned parents of these students started demanding for the return of their wards from the war-torn country and the government facilitated their safe return (to their homes),” he said.
The senior BJP leader said there is hardly any person in the country who had not benefitted from the government schemes over the last 10 years.
“The corona vaccination was ensured to all citizens without any charge and it was possible only because of the strong leadership,” he said.
Later briefly talking to reporters, the defence minister exuded confidence in winning all the Lok Sabha seats from Jammu and Kashmir.
He declined a direct answer on the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate and said “the case is sub-judice”.
He said that regional parties in J&K like National Conference, PDP and even Congress “misused Article 370” for their own political benefits. “I saw pictures of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi playing with snow in Kashmir. How could have they played with snow had Article 370 been still there,” Singh asked.
Singh also took a dig at PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti over her remarks that there would be no one to lift the tricolour in Jammu and Kashmir in case of the abrogation of Article 370.
“I want to tell you, Mehbooba Mufti, today the tricolour is being unfurled on all parts of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
Referring to another remark that there would be a bloodbath on the roads of Kashmir, he pointed out that streams of milk and water are flowing in Jammu and Kashmir, showing the significant development and progress made since the abrogation of the Article 370 in August 2019.
“Modi has returned things with interest to Jammu and Kashmir. J&K is moving rapidly on the path of development and progress,” he added.
Pointing towards Congress leader Rahul Gandhi playing with his sister Priyanka in the snow at Gulmarg in Kashmir early last year, Singh attributed it to the peace prevailing in the region after the abrogation of Article 370. (Agencies)

  BJP, Election

Agencies