"Who Would Have Thought Congress Would Side With Pak": Smriti Irani

BJP leader Smriti Irani, Congress president Rahul Gandhi's main electoral opponent in Amethi, today invoked the Pulwama terror attack to slam the Congress, alleging that the party sided with Pakistan when it was expected to support the country. Ms Irani was referring to some Congress leaders' demand of evidence to prove that the airstrike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp, carried out days after the attack, was a success.

Mr Irani also made reference to Congress's Sam Pitroda's recent comment that a nation cannot be blamed in its entirety for the actions of a few.

"Who would have thought our soldiers' blood would be spilled in Pulwama, and the Congress would stand with Pakistan, not with the country, that Rahul Gandhi's guru Sam Pitroda would say people of India keep dying like this but Pakistan must not be blamed," she said.

After the Pulwama terror attack, India responded with a fighter plane strike on Jaish camps in Balakot. The government estimated presence of around 300 terrorists at the site when the bombs were dropped.

The opposition, however, has sought evidence. "I am not questioning the recent IAF action against Pakistan-based terrorist camps. But pictures of any incident in open space can be accessed through satellite technology. So we should also give evidence, the way the United States government presented evidence of Osama bin Laden's killing before the world," Congress leader Digvijaya Singh had said.

The BJP has been making references to the opposition leaders' demand of evidence of the airstrike in election rallies. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that the opposition was talking in the language of Pakistan.

The strikes led to a severe escalation between India and Pakistan as the two countries got involved into an aerial dogfight. Both the countries lost a jet each. An Indian pilot was captured and released after 60 hours.

Smriti Irani had lost the 2014 general election against Mr Gandhi. She has been active in the constituency even after losing the polls. The party has fielded her from the Congress stronghold.