Congress' Charanjit Singh Channi sparks controversy with 'pre-poll stunt' remarks on Poonch terror attack
Congress’ Charanjit Singh Channi sparks controversy with ‘pre-poll stunt’ remarks on Poonch terror attack
NEW DELHI: The former chief minister of Punjab and Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi, has sparked controversy with his remarks regarding the recent terror attack in Poonch. In the attack, which took place on Saturday, an Air Force soldier lost his life, and four others sustained injuries. Channi claimed that the incident was a “pre-election stunt by the BJP,” providing the party with an opportunity to criticize the Congress amidst the ongoing general election.
While campaigning in Jalandhar, the constituency from which he is contesting, Channi said, “These are all stunts and not terrorist attacks. There is no truth in it. BJP is playing with the lives of people and bodies.”
He further suggested that such attacks are orchestrated to benefit the BJP whenever elections are held, drawing a comparison to the 2019 Pulwama attack, which claimed the lives of 40 CRPF personnel.
“These attacks are not really happening but just meant to benefit the Bharatiya Janata Party. Whenever elections take place, such stunts are played like it happened last time,” he asserted.
The terror attack in occurred in the Bakrabal (Sanai) area of Poonch, targeting two IAF vehicles. Corporal Vikky Pahade of the Indian Air Force was killed, and four other soldiers were injured in the incident.
Union minister Anurag Thakur strongly condemned Channi’s statement, calling it a reflection of the Congress party’s mentality. He accused the Congress of engaging in brokerage for a decade instead of strengthening the army.
“This is a poor statement. This reflects their mentality,” said Thakur.
Thakur also highlighted the surgical strike conducted by India after the Pulwama attack and criticized Congress for allegedly attempting to delay the hanging of the Parliament attack accused.
Furthermore, he pointed out the loss of 1000 square kilometers of territory, including Aksai Chin and a part taken by Sri Lanka, suggesting that the people will not forget these incidents.
“Instead of strengthening the army, they did brokerage for 10 years. After Pulwama, we did surgical strike. These people held a hearing at 2:30 pm to stop the hanging of the Parliament attack accused. People will not forget that 1000 km has been taken away – the area of Aksai Chin, a part has been taken by Sri Lanka,” he said.
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