'11 surgical strikes carried out during UPA regime without publicity': KCR tells Modi

KCR, who was a Union Minister in Manmohan Singh's cabinet said, "These are strategic attacks carried by them and also by us. It keeps happening on the border."

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Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Friday claimed that 11 surgical strikes were carried out by India when he was a Minister in the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

KCR, who was Minister for Labour and Employment in Manmohan Singh's cabinet in 2004-06, revealed this at an election rally in Miryalguda where he targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for creating a hype over surgical strikes to garner votes.

"When I was a Cabinet Minister in UPA, there were 11 surgical strikes but we never spoke about it outside. These are strategic attacks carried by them and also by us. It keeps happening on the border," he said.

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief said that while Modi claimed that 300 people died in the Balakot attack, JeM leader Masood Azhar said not even an ant was killed.

"Do you seek votes by creating a hype on such issues, leaving real issues like poverty, problems of farmers and economy aside," Rao asked.

KCR, who was speaking hours after Modi addressed an election rally in Telangana, alleged that the Prime Minister uttered lies. He asked Modi to specify what he had done for the poor, farmers, Dalits and backwards during the last five years.

He slammed Modi and the BJP for what he called their 'political Hindutva'.

"They are pseudo Hindus. We are real Hindus. We have bhatki. Theirs is a political Hindutva aimed at only garnering votes and targeting other communities," he said.

KCR asked both the BJP and Congress to explain to people why they failed to use available water resources and electricity in the country and why they failed to address real issues of people despite ruling the country for 70 years.

Reiterating that he wanted to bring a qualitative change in the national politics, KCR predicted that regional parties would form the next government at the Centre.

"The BJP-led NDA will not cross 150 seats and Congress will not get more than 100 seats. After May 23, the regional parties will rule this country," he said.

It must be noted that in 2017, the Directorate General of Military Operations of the Army (DGMO) replied to an RTI query, where it stated that the Army did not have any records of a ‘surgical strike’ conducted before September 29, 2016.

“This section does not maintain records of any other surgical strikes, if any conducted earlier,” the reply stated.

IANS inputs