Pushing new India’s policy of looking an adversary in the eye, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday revealed that he had ensured that Pakistan was the first to officially hear about the 2019 Balakot airstrike even before the news of the attack was broken to the media in India.
Addressing a rally in north Karnataka’s Bagalkot, PM Modi said that he had instructed the forces to inform media about the strike but postponed the disclosure until he managed to contact Pakistani authorities and tell them about the strikes and the damage it has done.
“But they wouldn’t take calls,” a Times of India report quoted him as saying.
“I then directed the forces to postpone disclosure until after I managed to contact them… Modi doesn’t believe in hiding or attacking from behind, he fights openly,” he added.
PM Modi also recalled how rumours about the strikes happening in similar-sounding north Karnataka district Bagalkot had swirled.
On his fifth campaign stop in north Karnataka within 24 hours, PM Modi also attacked the Congress for its alleged indulgence in vote-bank politics.
He specifically highlighted their purported actions regarding “reservation for Muslims,” which he claimed violated the Constitution.
PM Modi also accused Congress of redistributing portions of reservation meant for Dalits, SC/STs, and OBCs to Muslims by including them in the OBC category. He contrasted this with BJP’s approach of empowering SC/ST/OBC communities to participate more actively in public life.
PM Modi criticised the Siddaramaiah government for allegedly resorting to unethical practices, such as collecting money from tanker owners supplying water to drought-stricken areas of Bengaluru.
North Karnataka will vote during the third phase of elections on May 7.
With inputs from agencies
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‘Modi fights openly’: PM says informed Pakistan about Balakot airstrike even before the world knew
