india

Updated: Feb 17, 2019 23:39 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday a fire was burning in his heart after last week’s attack in Pulwama, paying tributes to two troopers from Bihar who were killed in the deadliest strike on security forces in Jammu and Kashmir.

At a public meeting in north Bihar’s Barauni, Modi condoled the families of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel Sanjay Kumar Sinha and Ratan Kumar Thakur, who were among the 40 troopers killed after a suicide bomber in a car targeted their convoy on February 14.

“...to the large number of people who have gathered here, I would like to say the fire that is raging in your hearts, is in my heart as well,” Modi said in Hindi, drawing a thunderous applause from the crowd near the industrial town of Begusarai, about 150km east of Patna.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi, who shared the stage with the PM, expressed hopes of a strong response from India after the Pulwama strike, which has been claimed by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad. Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan, too, condemned the “cowardly attack”.

The next part of Modi’s speech was dedicated to development works by his government. At the function, he launched projects worth Rs 33,000 crore in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections.

The Opposition was quick to hit out at Modi. Congress leader Prem Chandra Mishra said the foundation-laying exercise was a “feeble attempt” and a “political stunt”. People should get ready to hear more such announcements, particularly at the NDA rally on March 3, said Communist Party of India state secretary Satyanarain Singh.

Later, Modi inaugurated three medical colleges and laid the foundation stone for Women’s Engineering College in Ramgarh.