Congress asks Parrikar to clarify ex-PMs remark

A day after Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said some former prime ministers compromised on building "deep assets", the Congress Friday asked him to "clarify" his remarks.

Parrikar reportedly made the comment at an event in Mumbai Thursday night while explaining why he did not give any "proof" about the Jan 1 security operations in the Arabian Sea against a suspect terror boat which was blown up by the terrorists on board.

"We intercepted it from 200 km away. For 24 hours, the boat was going in circles. Is that not enough proof? What more do you want? I was asked to give 'proof' but I refused. I said 'absolutely not' because the source might be compromised," Parrikar had said.

"You have to build assets and you have to build deep assets. Deep assets are assets which have to be created over 20-30 years, but this country has seen prime ministers who have compromised deep assets. I won't take names. Many people know," he had said.

The Congress party attacked the defence minister and asked him to clarify on his remarks.

"Manohar Parrikar must be more straightforward and clarify things. Otherwise this will lead to unnecessary complications," senior Congress leader P.C. Chacko said.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala, meanwhile, said: "It is an extremely serious charge levelled by the defence minister. We hope he is making the charge responsibly".

"The defence minister needs to put everything in the public realm so that people of the nation know, or else else he must apologise for his charge," he added.

Parrikar, according to media reports, also hit out at the Congress for demanding evidence on the Coast Guard operation.

"There was demand for giving proof... Tomorrow, during such operations, we will take along a cameraman and also the Congress spokesperson," he said.

The Congress had asked the BJP-led government to come clean on conflicting reports in the media on the operations.