Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Thursday said he was unaware of any surgical strike being conducted during the Congress-led UPA regime, asserting that there is no information available to support such a claim. He maintained that all known surgical strikes were carried out under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, including the recent Operation Sindoor, which he said was necessary to send a strong message to Pakistan.
“I was with the Congress and part of the UPA at that time. If a surgical strike had happened during Dr Manmohan Singh's tenure, I am not aware of it,” said Athawale, who heads the Republican Party of India (Athawale), a former ally of the UPA and now a constituent of the BJP-led NDA.
Operation Sindoor, launched after the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, was essential, Athawale said. “Terrorists came from Pakistan and killed our people... The entire world knows such an operation was necessary,” he stated.
Rejecting allegations that the BJP and PM Modi were politicising national security, Athawale said: “There is no need to politicise the issue. Prime Minister Modi is not politicising it.”
On Trump and ceasefire claims
Responding to Congress leader Jairam Ramesh’s remarks about the BJP's silence over US President Donald Trump claiming credit for the India-Pakistan ceasefire understanding, Athawale said Trump was entitled to his views but had no role in India’s internal or strategic decisions.
“Trump has given his opinion, but the peace we see today is because India destroyed terror camps across the border. India has always maintained that PoK should be returned, and discussions with Pakistan will never involve a third party,” he said.
On Pakistan and PoK
Athawale also reiterated his criticism of Pakistan’s continued support for terrorism. “Pakistan never learns. It keeps training and sending terrorists into India. If it continues, it must realise that India could destroy it. Pakistan should hand over PoK to India,” he said.
Alliance with BJP to continue
Commenting on the upcoming local body elections in Maharashtra, Athawale reaffirmed that his party will remain with the BJP, regardless of the decisions made by other Mahayuti alliance partners. “RPI (A) will stay with the BJP. Aligning with us will only benefit the BJP in the elections,” he added.
(With inputs from PTI)