PM Narendra Modi addressed an election in Karnataka's Kalaburagi.
Highlights
- At a poll rally, PM Modi spoke of military heroes from Karnataka
- Congress insulted General K Thimayya, Field Marshal KM Cariappa, he said
- Congress rushed to suggest the PM "brush up on his knowledge of history"
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reference to two of the greatest military heroes from Karnataka at an election rally has led to a storm on Twitter, with many saying he got his facts mixed up. The Congress rushed to suggest that the Prime Minister "brush up on his knowledge of history", but the party did not get it entirely right either. Party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala had to delete his tweet and post an amended version.
The Prime Minister, in his speech at Karnataka's Kalaburagi, spoke of Field Marshal KM Cariappa and General K Thimayya, alleging how they had been insulted by the Congress government of the day.
"Cariappa and Thimayya were insulted by the Congress - this is a historical fact," the Prime Minister said. "We won the 1948 war under the leadership of General Thimayya, but after the war, the man who saved Kashmir was insulted repeatedly by Prime Minister Nehru and Defence Minister Krishna Menon."
A fact check reveals that the Commander in Chief of the Indian Army during the 1947-1948 war against Pakistan -- the first war fought by Independent India -- was General Sir Francis Bucher, not General Thimayya.
During the war, General Thimayya led the army in operations in Kashmir, and went on to become Army Chief in 1957.
In 1959, when general Thimayya was the army chief, Defence Minister Krishna Menon had rejected his views on China's military build-up. General Thimayya offered to resign, but his resignation letter was rejected by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
Taking on the Prime Minister, Congress's Mr Surjewala tweeted:
The blooper -- during the 1947 war, General Thimayya was commanding the forces in Kashmir. The first Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom was VK Krishna Menon, the one whom Prime Minister had referred to in his speech.
Mr Surjewala later posted a corrected version:
The Prime Minister had also referred to Field Marshal KM Cariappa, Indian Army's first commander-in-chief. "The 1962 war between India and China is sad... How did they behave with Cariappa?"
Field Marshal Cariappa had retired 9 years before the 1962 war. But in 1951 -- 11 years before the war with China -- he had warned Jawaharlal Nehru about China, but was told that it was not for the Army to decide who the nation's enemies would be.