Gandhinagar, March 3: BJP President Amit Shah, speaking at the Lakshya JITO program at GMDC hall in Ahmedabad, claimed that 250 terrorists were killed in the recent Air Force (IAF) strike on Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror training camp in Balakot, Pakistan and credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's will power for the early return of IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman. Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman Returns Home With a Rib Fracture, Back Contusion and Bruises: Reports.
Shah's claim that 250 terrorists were killed in the IAF raid on JeM training camp comes two days after Air Vice Marshal RGK Kapoor briefing the media had said that no fixed number could be attributed to the number of terrorists eliminated and that putting any number would be purely speculative. F-16 Was Used By Pakistan, IAF Displays AMRAAM Missile Part As Proof; All About The Evidence Presented by India (See Photos And Video).
Shah, comparing the earlier government with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tenure, said that whereas soldiers used to be "beheaded" in the past, "today situation is such that when our jawan fell in Pakistan while shooting down an F-16, within 24 hours he was back. This change is because of Narendra Modi's will power." PM Narendra Modi at Patna Rally: 'Congress Demoralising Armed Forces by Asking For Proof of Air Strike'.
Read Amit Shah's Comment in the Tweet Below:
BJP President Amit Shah in Ahmedabad, Gujarat: After Pulwama attack everyone thought "surgical strikes can't be done this time, what will happen now?" At that time PM Modi's govt did an airstrike on the 13th day and killed more than 250 terrorists. pic.twitter.com/A02kuMU9FM
— ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2019
Shah also claimed that IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman is the first "soldier caught during a war" who has been released so early by the enemy and credited PM Narendra Modi for it.
Shah, in his 45 minute address in Gujarati, spoke on the economy as well as other topics but largely restricted his speech to highlighting the achievements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government in the past five years.
However, Shah did target Opposition leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee for "politicising the Air Strikes by IAF following Pulwama attack" and asking for proof of the attack. "Mamata ji asks for proof, Rahul baba says it is being politicised, Akhilesh says it should be investigated. Feel ashamed, such statements bring a smile to Pakistan's face," said Shah.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 03, 2019 11:31 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).