Kejriwal postpones revelation, Delhi assembly hails Modi

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal put off a "major revelation" he was to make on Friday in the wake of the Indian surgical strikes on terrorists in Pakistani territory.

And in a rare show of unity, the AAP-dominated assembly unanimously passed a resolution hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian Army for targeting the terrorists across the Line of Control (LoC).

Speaking towards the end of the day's session, Kejriwal said he was putting off the promised revelation in the light of the "situation at the border".

He did briefly refer to the frequent arrests of his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs, saying they were being framed in false cases as part of a larger conspiracy.

"We wanted to present this in the assembly today. But because of the prevalent situation at the border, it is our duty to stand by the Central government," he said to thumping of desks by members.

"We can sort out our issues at a later date," Kejriwal said.

On Thursday, Kejriwal first postponed and then cancelled a press conference after the government said the army carried out surgical strikes across the LoC on Wednesday night.

Earlier, moving a resolution condemning the September 18 attack on an army camp that killed 19 soldiers, Kejriwal extended wholehearted support to the Central government for any steps it takes in the country's interest.

"We will support all the steps it takes for internal as well as external security of the nation," he said.

The original resolution hailed the Army for attacking the terrorists.

Opposition leader Vijender Gupta, while backing the resolution, moved an amendment to include Prime Minister Narendra Modi's name for taking the "landmark" decision to attack the terrorist launch pads.

Kejriwal agreed. The resolution was amended to also congratulate Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and chiefs of armed forces.

Gupta also urged Kejriwal to delete his September 27 tweet referring to an article he had shared with the comment: "Excellent article. On Uri, rather than Pak, India seems to be getting isolated internationally."

"The Chief Minister had tweeted barely three hours before the forces left for the mission. I request him to withdraw his tweet so that it doesn't have a negative impact on the morale of our forces," Gupta said.

--IANS

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