Not a game of marbles: V K Singh on Opposition demand for proof of air strikes

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Union minister V K Singh Tuesday trashed Congress demand for proof on the Balakot terror strikes as "waste of time" and on the opposition party's quest regarding casualty figures, he said it was not a "game of marbles".

The Minister of State for External Affairs said no proof is given about action by the forces and asked whether anybody had got proof during wars since 1947.

Seeking to put the government on the back foot, opposition parties had on Monday latched on to BJP chief Amit Shah's claim of 250 casualties in the Indian Air Force's air strike in Pakistan's Balakot to ask how he got such top secret information.

On the varying casualty figures in the Balakot strikes, Singh told reporters, "One way is to go there and count and come back. Secondly, what the information you have, you can assess it (figure) and that number is told to the people. Exact figure will be known only when you are there.

"This is not a game of marbles. This is a serious matter. Any action by the forces, no proof is given," he asserted.

Asked about his reaction on Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijaya Singh describing the February 14 Pulwama terror attacks an "accident", the former Army chief said, "With due respect, I would like to ask Digvijaya Singh, whether Rajiv Gandhi's killing was a terror act or an accident?"
Reacting on the news, Mehbooba Tuesday tweeted, "Little surprise that with general elections around the corner, the josh of patriotism hasn't even spared the skies."