NewsX Exclusive Debate: After Strikes & Terror Free Cities | Who Has Made India Safer?

Amidst the shockwaves of the recent terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch, where 2 Air Force personnel were killed and 3 were seriously injured. The political parties in the on-going lok sabha election scene couldn’t hold themselves but to play blame-games on each other.
Former Punjab Chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi terms the attack on IAF convoy in Poonch as an ‘election stunt’.
Anyways, this is not the first time that political leaders are using martyrdom of a soldier for their selfish benefits. For example in 2010 Congress to defame BJP, the then home minister and congress leader P Chidambaram coined the ‘Saffron terrorism’ and linked the term with 2006 Malegaon blast in Maharashtra, explosions of the Samjhauta express in Haryana, Blast at Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad and bombing of the Ajmer Sharif dargah in 2007.
11 years later to this, the leaders of congress are back again, making similar charges against the RSS. in fact, in the row of Poonch attack, Maharashtra Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar has also alleged that Hemant Karkare, chief of Mumbai ATS who was killed during 26/11 terrorist attacks, was killed by an RSS-linked cop and not by terrorists. While the congress has distanced itself from these leaders.

The 6 p.m. NewsX exclusive debate led by anchor & editor Devika Chopra, discusses on alleging RSS killed Hemant Karkare to BJP fabricated terror attacks to win votes and then demanding proof for the 2016 surgical strikes, 2019 Balakot airstrikes against Pakistan – are these the core beliefs of the Congress or are they are statements just to raise eyeballs?

In the panel the anchor was joined by 4 distinguished voices including, Political analyst George Kurian, BJP spokesperson Vishwas Pathak, Editorial director The Sunday Guardian Madhav Nalapat and Former IPS officer Dhanraj Vanjari.

Starting off the debate, The anchor first asked George Kurian that Why congress party does not take any kind of actions against the party members who make such baseless statements that also demeans the Indian security forces?
Answering the question, George Kurian straight up clarifies that the Congress party does not endorse the statements of these leaders and that they are their personal views. Adding up further though he assures of necessary steps to be taken against them, but then he also draws parallel between many BJP leaders that have also uttered baseless charges and were still noy reprimanded.

George Kurian was then asked second question about why the case of Karkare has been brought up, and congress is trying to give SC a clean-chit when the SC itself closed the file?
He answers, that the leaders statements were uncalled, he clearly states that Channi’s statement is kind of giving ammunition to Pakistan’s deed. Hence, he urged BJP to not further aggravate Channi’ statement, and give Pakistan any sort of clean chit.

Does Congress by distancing itself from the statements made, reduces the gravity of the accusations, like ‘The prime minister of the country is fabricating terror attacks to win votes’?
Professor Madhav Nalapat frankly says that the congress leader’s views were not correct. He further adds on that how Congress party is being ignorant of the inside participation during 26/11 attacks.

Then, devika Chopra asks Dhanraj Vanjari “Who has made India safer, was it the dossiers the then Indian ministers use to take it to America, or is it the current govt. stringent steps?”
He firsts speaks about Karkare case, agreeing with Shashi Tharoor’s statement, he also demands a thorough investigation into the probe. He asks that why the issue of bullet identification was not brought in front of the court. He says that this is the main contention of allegation on Ujwal Nigam, then Candidate of BJP.

The hosts then stresses upon the matter happened in 2008, and since then why any govt. has acted upon the case?
Prof. Madhav Nalapat said that ‘In India there’s a tradition of no matter ever being settled’. He says that reinvestigation a case that’s already been probed would mean time waste, as India has a lot of case to probe into.