V K Singh hits out at Digvijaya Singh for terming Pulwama attack an 'accident'

Union Minister VK Singh on Tuesday hit out at senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh for terming the ghastly Pulwama terror attack an "accident" and asked him whether the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was a terror incident or just an "accident". "With due respect, I would like to ask Digvijaya Singh Ji, was Rajiv Gandhi's assassination an accident or a terror incident? Let him answer this first," VK Singh, who is Minister of State for External Affairs, told reporters here.

Earlier today, Digvijaya Singh courted controversy after he termed the Pulwama attack an “accident” and said that “doubt” expressed in some foreign media reports over the February 26 IAF air strike is putting a question mark on the credibility of the Indian government. Singh, a former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, made the remarks while tweeting in Hindi.

He said after the Pulwama “durghatna” (accident) and the Indian Air Force (IAF) strike, "sandeh” (doubt) is being expressed in some foreign media reports following which “vishwasniyata” (credibility) of the government is under question. In another tweet, Digvijaya Singh questioned the casualty claim in the air strike and demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi to come clear on the same.

"Prime Minister, some ministers of your government say 300 terrorists killed, BJP president says 250 are killed, Yogi Adityanath says 400 people were killed and your minister SS Ahluwalia says that no one died. And you are silent about this issue. The country wants to know who is a liar in this," he said. The Congress leader's statement came at a time when many opposition leaders are raising questions on the Balakot strike by the IAF and are asking for proof and the exact casualty inflicted on terrorists.

Last week, BJP president Amit Shah had claimed that over 250 terrorists were killed in the IAF air raid. On Shah's statement, VK Singh said that he did not give a "confirmed figure" and it was just an "estimate". "It's an estimate. He is not saying this is a confirmed figure. He is saying these many people might have died," the former Army Chief said. "The figure is of the attack on Balakot (in Pakistan). The attack was only at one place, nowhere else. The target was selected carefully, away from residential areas, to avoid civilian casualty," he added.

India carried out the air strike in less than two weeks after the Jaish terror attack in Pulwama in which 40 CRPF personnel lost their lives. JeM had claimed the responsibility of the attack. IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa on Monday said the fighter planes had hit the target given to them but he cannot give the number of casualties suffered as it is for the government to do so. 

(With inputs from agencies.)