india

Updated: Apr 22, 2019 00:53 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said he had warned Pakistan of consequences if it did not return Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman.

Addressing a poll rally at Patan in Gujarat, he asserted his government’s commitment towards national security and said whether the prime minister’s chair remains or not, he has decided that either he will be alive or the terrorists.

He also took a jibe at Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar, saying if he is unaware of his next move, then how can Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan gauge what he will do.

Modi urged the people of Gujarat to help the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) win all 26 Lok Sabha seats in his home state, where polling will be held on Tuesday, and said if it does not happen, then there will be discussions on TV over it on the day of vote counting.

Following the air strike at Balakot terror camp in Pakistan, there was a dogfight between Indian and Pakistani fighter planes on February 27 in which IAF wing commander Abhinandan Varthaman was captured by the neighbouring country and released on the night of March 1.

He said after Varthaman was caught, the Opposition started seeking a reply from him. “We held a press conference and warned Pakistan that if anything happened to our pilot, you will keep telling the world what Modi did to you.”

“A senior American official said on the second day that Modi has kept 12 missiles ready and might attack and the situation will deteriorate. Pakistan announced it will return the pilot, or else it was going to be a ‘qatal ki raat’ [night of murders],” he said.

“This was said by America, I have nothing to say about this now, I will speak about it when the time will come,” he said.

“The [Prime Minister’s] chair remains or goes, I have decided that either I be alive or terrorists will remain alive,” he said.

He said the air strike at terror camps in Pakistan was something people expected from him. “When Pulwama happened, what did the country expect Modi to do? Would you, would the country have pardoned me had I done what the Manmohan Singh government did after 26/11,” he asked.

The country wanted something to be done, he said, adding that he had announced giving a free hand to the military. “They [Pakistan] made tight arrangements, but being the disciple of Lord Hanuman, our people conducted air strike and their story was over,” he said.

Hitting out at opposition parties, he said the Balakot strike made them uncomfortable. “Pakistan was repeatedly saying India bombed us, but people here were questioning if this was India’s Balakot. They were proved false,” he said.

Accusing the Congress of questioning the bravery of India’s military force and doubting its action, he said, “Does any Congress leader ask for air strike proof? They have got the message to stop asking because people are getting angry. After the first and second phases of polls, they have forgotten to ask.”

He also took a swipe at Pawar, who on Saturday said he was “terribly afraid” as to what Modi, who once called the NCP chief his mentor in politics, would do next. “Sharad Pawar says I don’t know what will Modi do. If he is unaware of what Modi will do tomorrow, how will Imran Khan know?” he said.