KOLKATA: Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday hit back at Pakistani counterpart Khawaja Asif for his alleged comments related to striking Kolkata, stressing that he should not give "such provocative statement" because they suffered the consequences when Pakistan was divided into two parts.
While reacting to reporters' questions in connection with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata's allegations about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence on Asif’s threat, Singh said, “Pakistan should remember the memories of 55 years ago when it was divided into two countries in 1971. They will feel the dire consequence again if they dare to go beyond.”
Later, Singh participated in an election campaign rally for the BJP in Barrackpore on the outskirts of Kolkata. Addressing the rally, he slammed the Mamata Banerjee government on several issues, including lawlessness, infiltration, non-industrialisation and plights of migrant workers leaving Bengal because of unemployment.
Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Saturday reportedly said that Islamabad would retaliate by striking Kolkata in the event of any future misadventure by India.
Mamata on Monday lambasted the prime minister and demanded his immediate resignation for his silence on the recent threat from the Pakistan minister. At a poll rally at Bethuadahari in Nadia district, the Trinamool Congress supremo made scathing attacks on Modi for his blistering attack on TMC in his election speeches — including one in Cooch Behar district on Sunday — while failing to respond to remarks from the Pakistan defence minister.
The catalyst for her outrage was Khawaja Asif’s warning to India on Saturday that it would respond to any “future misadventures” with a strike on Kolkata. Asif said in Sialkot, “If India tries to stage any false flag operation this time, then God-willingly, we will take it to Kolkata.”
Modi’s silence even in his Cooch Behar rally on Sunday, prompted Mamata to come heavily on him. “You target Bengal in your election rallies, but when Pakistan talks about attacking Calcutta, you remain silent. You should resign.... You must immediately resign,” Mamata said.
“Why did the Prime Minister not raise the issue in his Bengal rally? Why didn’t he say ‘We will take strong action’?” she raised questions. There was no mention of Asif or any threat from Pakistan in Modi’s speech.
Abhishek Banerjee, national general secretary of Trinamool Congress, was also equally relentless in his criticism of Modi. “Prime Minister Modi is silent while Khawaja Asif threatens Calcutta. He uses central agencies against political opponents but lacks the spine to respond to Pakistan. Is this your 56-inch chest? The day the INDIA bloc comes to power, we will teach him (Asif, presumably) a lesson...,” he asserted on Monday.