Modi claim on cloud cover during Balakot strike 'ridiculous': Oppn
New Delhi: Opposition parties, including the Congress, took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday over his remarks that cloud cover "helped" IAF planes evade Pakistani radars during the Balakot strikes, with some leaders terming the statement as "ridiculous and false".
The CPI(M) has also moved the Election Commission. alleging that Modi had revealed "operational details of a sensitive military mission" in a television interview with a purpose to influence voters.
Rejecting the charge, senior BJP leader and Union minister Prakash Javadekar said, "PM Modi did not reveal anything (about the Balakot strike) he was not supposed to reveal."
In the interview aired on Saturday, Modi said he used his "raw wisdom" to dispel doubts of defence experts who wanted the air strike to be deferred due to bad weather.
"The weather was not good on the day of air strike. There was a thought that crept in the minds of the experts that the day of strike should be changed. However, I suggested that the clouds could actually help our planes escape the radars," Modi said while talking about the cross-border strike on terror camps in response to the Pulwama attack that claimed the lives of 40 CRPF personnel.
The prime minister comment drew widespread ridicule and condemnation from various quarters, including a large number of memes on social media. In response to a tweet by the BJP on Modi's comment, the Congress tweeted a couplet, "Jumla hi fekta raha paanch saal ki sarkar mein, Socha tha cloudy hai mausam, Nahi aaunga radar mein. (He resorted to rhetoric during his five-year tenure hoping cloudy weather would keep him out of radar)."
Congress spokesperson Rajeev Satav said, "Modi Ji, I totally understand that you are an expert in planning 'escape' operations including that of Nirav Modi, Mehul Bhai and Vijay Mallya as they were never on your radar. Your #EntireCloudCover remarks speak volumes about your understanding and knowledge of National security."
Another Congress spokesperson, Sanjay Jha, said, "Now (Finance Minister Arun) Jaitley will write a blog explaining the atmospheric decomposition of air particles that accentuates chemical metabolism resulting in a diabolical cloudburst that can conceal large aircraft's from being spotted by Tata Sky radars across the LoC."
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah took to Twitter and said, "Pakistani radar doesn't penetrate clouds. This is an important piece of tactical information that will be critical when planning future air strikes."
CPI(M leader Sitaram Yechury termed the remarks as "shameful" and moved the Election Commission, demanding action against Modi for violating the model code of conduct.
Yechury said Modi's words are "truly shameful".
"Most importantly, because they insult our Air Force as being ignorant and unprofessional. The fact that he is talking about all this is itself anti-national; no patriot would do this.
Former J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday described Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reported remarks about clouds helping the Indian Air Force jets escape Pakistani radars during Balakot airstrikes as "painfully embarrassing".
Mehbooba wondered whether the PM authorising the operation in bad weather by overruling the advice of the IAF led to the strikes "failing" to hit the intended target.
