Nasheman News : The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka on Thursday locked horns in a Twitter war over India’s pre-emptive strike on terror camps in Pakistan on Tuesday.

Congress state unit president Dinesh Gundu Rao targeted BJP state unit president B.S. Yeddyurappa for his tweet on Wednesday in which he wrote “situation favourable for the BJP” and that the pre-emptive strike would help his party to win 22 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka. 

“#Most disgusting, shameful, irresponsible statement made by @BSYBJP (Yeddyurappa). Using the #J&K situation for political benefit,” Rao wrote on Twitter.

Rao wondered if winning elections was the criterion for the BJP and not the country’s security. He asked Yeddyurappa to clarify if going to war was an electoral strategy of the BJP.

The pre-emptive strike was to avert an imminent terror attack by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit after the February 14 terror blast killed about 40 CRPF troopers travelling in a bus to Srinagar from Jammu near Pulwama in the northern Kashmir state.

Yeddyurappa’s tweet read: “The IAF fighters entered Pakistan on Tuesday and destroyed three terrorist camps, which created a pro-Modi wave across the country. The effect of this will be seen in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.”

Noting that the counter attack by India had enthused the youth of the country, the former Chief Minister said the Prime Minister had shown courage in teaching Pakistan a lesson and in avenging the death of 40 CRPF troopers.

“As (Narendra) Modi said he would avenge every drop of blood, he is showing that he is doing as promised. All have welcomed it. Even opposition parties have welcomed it.”

Clarifying his remarks at Chitradurga in the state’s northwest region, Yeddyurappa later tweeted that his statement was reported out of context.

“I said the situation is favourable for the BJP, which I have been saying for the last couple of months. This is not for the first time I said the BJP in Karnataka would win a minimum of 22 seats under the able leadership of Modi ji.”

Nasheman News : Security has been beefed up for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Sankalp rally here on March 3 when he is likely to launch NDA’s campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, police said on Thursday.

Top officers of Bihar Police along with officials of advance security liaison (ASL) of Special Protection Group (SPG) – an elite commando force – Intelligence Bureau and other security agencies have been working for a full-proof security in and around rally venue Gandhi Maidan.

Security has been tightened across Patna, including at airports and railway stations. 

Gandhi Maidan has been completely sealed for the public. Security personnel have been deployed on high rise buildings around the venue, Patna senior Superintendent of Police Garima Malik said.

According to a police officer, every move near the venue is under high tech surveillance. Bihar will be on full alert during Modi’s rally. 

During the rally, 4,000 policemen along with hundreds of officials from various intelligence agencies will be deployed. 

“NDA leaders, workers and supporters will come in 30 trains for the rally,” Janata Dal-United (JD-U) General Secretary and party’s Rajya Sabha member R.C.P. Singh said. 

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Bihar Cabinet Minister Nand Kishore Yadav said more than 5,000 buses will come to Patna for the rally, besides hundreds of four vehicles. 

Leaders of the BJP and its allies JD-U and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) have been busy touring different parts of the state to mobilise support for the rally.

The Sankalp rally will be the first joint rally of Narendra Modi and JD-U chief Nitish Kumar and their first big show after Nitish Kumar joined hands with the BJP in July 2017. 

Nasheman News : Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, who counts Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan as a friend, on Wednesday prayed for the well-being and early return of captured Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Abhinandan Varthaman.

In a poetic tweet on Wednesday, Sidhu said that the whole of India was praying for his well-being and return home from Pakistani captivity.

“Wing Commander Abhinandan akele nahi ho aap, Hindustan ekjut hokar aapki salamati aur ghar wapsi ki dua kar raha hai… dua hai ki aap ki hasti kuch aisa nazara ho jaaye, kashti bhi utre maujon par, toofan hi kinara ho jaaye (Wing Commander Abhinandan, you are not alone, Hindustan has become one in praying for your safety and return home, (we) pray that your presence takes such a form, that even if the boat leaves you on the waves, the storm itself becomes the shore),” he posted.

India on Wednesday said that a Pakistan fighter jet was shot down in the aerial engagement between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) but it lost one of its MiG-21s, with its pilot, later identified as Varthaman, the son of a retired Air Marshal, in Pakistani custody. It has demanded he be handed back to India. 

Sidhu, who takes every opportunity to harp on his friendship with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, a former cricketer like himself, has been under fire in recent days from various quarters for defending Pakistan in the aftermath of the February 14 Pulwama terror attack which left 40 CRPF troopers dead.

On Tuesday, after India announced the air strikes of a Jaish-e-Mohammed training camp in Pakistan’s Balakot, Sidhu tweeted: “In the war of right & wrong, You can not afford to be neutral, The war against terror outfits is spot on… Bravo Indian Air Force @IAF_MCC Jai Hind.”

Sidhu was, however, trolled after his earlier comments defending Pakistan.

“Wherever wars are fought and such things (Pulwama-type attack) happen, dialogue also continues simultaneously.

“There is a need to find a permanent solution (to issues between India and Pakistan). Such people (terrorists) have no religion, no country and no caste. When a snake bites, its antidote is also snake poison,” he had posted, seeking to justify his take on the dialogue between the two nations.

Though Sidhu condemned the Pulwama terror attack on the CRPF convoy, he added that the entire nation (Pakistan) could not be blamed for the actions of a handful of people.

This had earned him flak, but he had defended his comments claiming that his statement was “deliberately distorted” as the people were scared of him. 

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who does not agree with his minister on many issues, had said “everyone had the right to voice their mind and it was up to Navjot Singh Sidhu to explain his stand”.

Nasheman News : Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, who counts Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan as a friend, on Wednesday prayed for the well-being and early return of captured Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Abhinandan Varthaman.

In a poetic tweet on Wednesday, Sidhu said that the whole of India was praying for his well-being and return home from Pakistani captivity.

“Wing Commander Abhinandan akele nahi ho aap, Hindustan ekjut hokar aapki salamati aur ghar wapsi ki dua kar raha hai… dua hai ki aap ki hasti kuch aisa nazara ho jaaye, kashti bhi utre maujon par, toofan hi kinara ho jaaye (Wing Commander Abhinandan, you are not alone, Hindustan has become one in praying for your safety and return home, (we) pray that your presence takes such a form, that even if the boat leaves you on the waves, the storm itself becomes the shore),” he posted.

India on Wednesday said that a Pakistan fighter jet was shot down in the aerial engagement between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) but it lost one of its MiG-21s, with its pilot, later identified as Varthaman, the son of a retired Air Marshal, in Pakistani custody. It has demanded he be handed back to India. 

Sidhu, who takes every opportunity to harp on his friendship with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, a former cricketer like himself, has been under fire in recent days from various quarters for defending Pakistan in the aftermath of the February 14 Pulwama terror attack which left 40 CRPF troopers dead.

On Tuesday, after India announced the air strikes of a Jaish-e-Mohammed training camp in Pakistan’s Balakot, Sidhu tweeted: “In the war of right & wrong, You can not afford to be neutral, The war against terror outfits is spot on… Bravo Indian Air Force @IAF_MCC Jai Hind.”

Sidhu was, however, trolled after his earlier comments defending Pakistan.

“Wherever wars are fought and such things (Pulwama-type attack) happen, dialogue also continues simultaneously.

“There is a need to find a permanent solution (to issues between India and Pakistan). Such people (terrorists) have no religion, no country and no caste. When a snake bites, its antidote is also snake poison,” he had posted, seeking to justify his take on the dialogue between the two nations.

Though Sidhu condemned the Pulwama terror attack on the CRPF convoy, he added that the entire nation (Pakistan) could not be blamed for the actions of a handful of people.

This had earned him flak, but he had defended his comments claiming that his statement was “deliberately distorted” as the people were scared of him. 

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who does not agree with his minister on many issues, had said “everyone had the right to voice their mind and it was up to Navjot Singh Sidhu to explain his stand”.

 In the ongoing crackdown against separatists in the Kashmir Valley, the National Investigation Team (NIA) is likely to summon Hurriyat Conference leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq for questioning. The summoning would follow raid at Mirwaiz’s residence earlier this week on Tuesday during which a Pakistan hotline was discovered.

Raids were conducted at the properties of separatist leaders on Tuesday and Wednesday as part of investigations into a terror funding case. Raids took place at seven places on Tuesday including at the residences of separatist leaders like Yasin Malik, Shabbir Shah, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Mohammad Ashraf Khan, Masarat Alam, Zaffar Akbar Bhat and Naseem Geelani, son of Hurriyat hardliner Sayeed Ali Shah Geelani.

On Wednesday, the NIA carried out searches at 11 places of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists and separatist leaders in relation to the Pulwama terror attack and terror-funding. Apart from JeM’s overground workers, three separatist leaders — Mohammad Shaban Dar, Shawkat Maulvi and Yasmine Raza – were also raided.

CRPF and Jammu & Kashmir Police teams accompanied the NIA teams while the raids were conducted.

It would be for the first time that Mirwaiz would be summoned and questioned by a central investigation agency under anti-terror laws.

The NIA is expected to write to the director general, Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) to undertake technical analysis of the equipment seized from the Hurriyat leader’s house and recover data stored in them.

The NIA is also likely to approach the Ministry of Telecom to find out the licensing and purchase conditions of the high-tech internet telephony equipment seized.

The central agency seized various incriminating materials and documents during the raids, including property papers, financial transactions receipts and bank account details. Electronic devices like laptops, tablets, mobile phones, pen drives, communication system and DVRs were also seized.

The agency also found letterheads of various terrorist organisations.

The biggest seizure, however, was a high-tech internet communication set and independent technical servers from the residence of Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. NIA sources said Mirwaiz used this special internet communication exchange to speak to his masters in Pakistan.

It was reported that the hotline had a 40-feet long antenna which had been set up at the Kashmiri separatist leader’s residence in complete violation of rules and regulations that are in place in a sensitive area like Srinagar.

Agencies

Karnataka BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa today said he was quoted “out of context” amid criticism over his comment that that India’s air strike on a terror camp in Pakistan on Tuesday has created a wave in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will help the party win over 22 of 28 seats in the state in the national election due by May.

“The atmosphere….day-by-day the wind is increasingly blowing in favour of the BJP. Yesterday”s action of destroying terror hideouts by entering inside Pakistan has resulted in a pro-Modi wave in the country, the results of which can be seen in coming Lok Sabha polls,” Mr Yeddyurappa said on Wednesday in Chitradurga.

“Just now we got news that a Pakistani jet which tried to enter our border has been chased back. Pakistan has been taught a lesson, after 40 years PM Modi has done it. PM said we’d reply to every drop of blood of our soldiers and he has shown that today. Youth are celebrating; all this will help us in winning more than 22 Lok Sabha seats (in Karnataka),” said the former chief minister. The BJP has 16 parliamentary seats in Karnataka, the Congress 10 and Janata Dal Secular, two seats.

This morning, he tried to blunt the attacks but it didn’t help. “My statement is being reported out of context. I said that ‘situation favourable for BJP’ which I am saying for last couple of months. This is not first time that I said BJP in Karnataka will win minimum 22 seats under the able leadership of Modi ji,” he tweeted.

The clarification came shortly after he was rebuked by his party colleague, Union Minister VK Singh.
 

Mr Yeddyurappa’s comments have redoubled the opposition’s attacks on the ruling party. On Wednesday, 21 parties alleged “blatant politicisation” of the sacrifices of the armed forces by the “leaders of the ruling party (BJP).” The parties added that “national security must transcend narrow political considerations.”

The Congress unit in Madhya Pradesh tweeted: “They have no shame. The country is tense, our pilot is in Pakistan’s custody, soldiers’ families are worried, and BJP is counting seats…Such lowdown politics.”

In the early hours of Tuesday, Indian Air Force fighter planes crossed the Line of Control for the first time since 1971 and bombed a training camp of the Jaish-e-Mohammed, the terrorist group responsible for the February 14 terror attack in Kashmir’s Pulwama in which over 40 soldiers were killed.

The government said the strike was successful and a “very large number” of terrorists, trainers and senior commanders were killed.2

Amid escalating hostilities, Pakistan yesterday captured an Indian Air Force pilot after an air combat, after which the government put out a strong statement demanding his safe return.