While the opposition politicians have not shied away from discrediting the Balakot air strikes, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, in a public meeting held in Chakan in Maharashtra, made an outrageous claim about the recent air strikes on the terror camps conducted by the Indian Air Force. Pawar claimed that the IAF carried out those air strikes on his directions.
According to Sharad Pawar, in the aftermath of the dastardly attack in Pulwama, which claimed lives of 40 CRPF personnel, a top-level meeting was held in which he was asked about his response if he were the defence minister. Pawar contends that he advised striking the terror hideouts responsible for the attacks. He further added that PM Modi and defence minister N Sitharaman were not present in the meeting. PM Modi was in Maharashtra during the meeting, he says. Ridiculing Modi, Pawar insinuated that his suggestion was heeded by the Air Force without due deliberation from the Prime Minister or Defence Minister and Balakot terror camps were destroyed based on his advise. It appears that Modi’s declaration to provide complete freedom to the Armed Forces to avenge the Pulwama attack has lost on Sharad Pawar
However, a few days back, Sharad Pawar had accused PM Modi of politicising the Balakot air strikes. Now, with the elections approaching, Pawar thought it wise to garner votes by trying to taking credit for the Balakot air strikes. He further attacked Modi claiming that he did not visit the funeral of a soldier in a nearby village despite being in Yavatmal. Pawar also contended that the agrarian distress in the country is because of unfavourable policies implemented by the Modi government.
As the reports are now trickling in, about 263 terrorists were killed in the Balakot air strikes. Sharad Pawar’s allies have long been questioning the veracity of the precise air strikes. Pawar perhaps might do well to rein in them, considering they are questioning an operation that was supposedly suggested by him. In the interest of the Nation, Pawar should continue to stay in the opposition from where he can perhaps keep proffering suggestions to the Armed forces.
It is also notable to mention that Sharad Pawar had conjured up an extra bomb blast in the 1993 Mumbai terror attack ‘to promote Hindu-Muslim harmony’. After 22 years, he brazened out his lie in an event during the 89th Marathi Literary Meet near Pune. With such decorated past instances of lying, it is difficult to take Sharad Pawar’s current utterances on face value.