Kashmir leaders rattled by Balakot air strikes, says Jitendra Singh

Union Minister Jitendra Singh Monday said that Kashmir-centric leaders are rattled by the Balakot air strikes and are unable to digest the countrywide popular support received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the first-of-its-kind anti-terrorist action launched against Pakistan in the past 70 years.

His assertion came in response to recent tweets by National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on the prime minister's remarks that cloud cover "helped" IAF planes evade Pakistani radars during the Balakot strikes.

Singh said that much harm has been done to the country by these Twitter-savvy activists who consider themselves to be "know-alls".

In an interview to a private news channel aired on Saturday, Modi said he relied on his "raw wisdom" to dispel doubts of defence experts who wanted the air strikes to be deferred due to inclement weather.

"The weather was not good on the day of air strike. There was a thought that crept in the minds of the experts that the day of strike should be changed. However, I suggested that the clouds could actually help our planes escape the radars," Modi said while talking about the cross-border strike on terror camps in response to the Pulwama attack that claimed the lives of 40 CRPF personnel.

Reacting to Modi's remarks, Mehbooba tweeted on Sunday, "No secret that Balakot strikes failed to hit the intended target. Was it because PM overruled the advice of IAF & authorised airstrikes in bad weather? Cloud cover logic is painfully embarrassing.Remind me again, why is RG (Congress president Rahul Gandhi) derided as Pappu?"
Abdullah had on Saturday tweeted, "Pakistani radar doesn't penetrate clouds. This is an important piece of tactical information that will be critical when planning future air strikes."
In an apparent response to these tweets, Singh, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), said, "While we are proud that we are seeking votes on the basis of our pledge and commitment to the national security of India, it is for the NC and PDP leadership to regret that they have not been able to sell the slogan of so-called autonomy, pre-1953 status, self-rule, etc."