Now Abhinandan 'can be in India and attack Pak': Nadda

Crediting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and late Manohar Parrikar for induction of Rafale jets, BJP working president J P Nadda on Friday said that now the Air Force can target Pakistan without crossing the border.

He was speaking at a rally here in support of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).

"As part of several decisions taken on defence procurement, (during Parrikar's tenure as defence minister) we got 36 Rafale fighter jets. Now our Abhinandan would not have to go to Pakistan, he can be in India and attack Pakistan," the BJP leader said.

Wing commander Abhinandan Varthaman was held captive for 60 hours in Pakistan after his aircraft was shot down during the India-Pakistan standoff of February 2019.

Nadda accused the UPA government of failing to upgrade India's defence infrastructure.

"Today I offer my tributes to former chief minister and former defence minister Manohar Parrikar....He has done so much for defence forces under the leadership of Narendra Modi," he said.

"During UPA's ten-year rule, every defence deal was under cloud of suspicion of corruption. May it be helicopter deal, submarine deal....they did not sign any procurement deal for ten years," he said.

He also said that the UPA government could not sort out the issue of One Rank One Pension, which was settled by Parrikar.

"One Rank One Pension was introduced and Rs 20,000 crore were sent to the homes of our soldiers," he said.