"Not in favour of nationalism...," Rajasthan Deputy CM Prem Chand Bairwa over Channi's remark on Poonch terror attack

Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], May 6 (ANI): On Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi's alleged remarks on the Poonch terror attack, Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Prem Chand Bairwa said that his statement is not in "favour of nationalism" and the country, adding that one should refrain from making such statements.
"His statement is not in favour of nationalism and the country. PM Modi has always given a befitting reply to any attack that happened in the country... This is a matter of our soldiers' martyrdom and we should not make such statements... There can be different parties but this country is one," Prem Chand Bairwa told ANI.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Rohan Gupta said that this is "strongly against this mindset" adding that the Congress should "sack" him.

"I am strongly against this mindset. When the surgical strike was done after Pulwama attack. How was that vote bank politics? Our soldiers have made the supreme sacrifice. How can you call it "stuntbaazi"? I don't think any election or any politics is above the nation. You are insulting jawans...How will the public forgive you? Channi will have to answer that how is this "stuntbaazi". Either prove it or apologise for it. If he doesn't apologise, Congress should sack him...Congress leaders should steer clear of such petty politics," Rohan Gupta said.
Meanwhile, Former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi issued a clarification over his alleged remarks on the recent terror attack incident in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch and said that his statement was "distorted."
Channi said that he intended to point out that a "similar attack" took place during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections referring to the Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed by terrorists.
"My statement was distorted. What I meant to say was that a similar attack had taken place during the last Lok Sabha elections also. But it was not investigated by BJP and till now it is not known who was involved in the said attack," Channi said in a self-made video released today after his remarks stirred a controversy.
Channi alleged that Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar had demanded the Prime Minister's resignation following the terror attack in 2019 adding that Jakhar has "no stand."
"Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar had asked for PM Modi's resignation over the last attack. This attack was carried out as part of a conspiracy. This statement was given by Jakhar on stage. Jakhar has no stand. Satyapal Malik, who was the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, had said about the last attack that such attacks can happen again. But the government did not take the gist of the said complaint," the former CM said.
Channi claimed that the BJP was turning the death of soldiers into a political stunt.
"I feel sad when the soldiers of my country are martyred. But BJP is making it its stunt. We are proud of the jawans who joined the armed forces to safeguard the country. I gave a statement that in the last Parliamentary elections, 40 jawans were attacked and they lost their lives," he said.
An Indian Air Force officer was killed and four others injured in the terror attack in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday.
Pointing out that the attack came amid the Lok Sabha elections, former CM Charanjit Singh Channi had on Sunday alleged it was "pre-planned" and such "stuntbaazi" is done to facilitate BJP's win in the polls.
"This is stuntbaazi. When elections come, such stunts are done to make the BJP win. These are pre-planned attacks, there is no truth in them," Channi said while speaking to reporters in Punjab.
The voting in Jammu and Kashmir is being held in five phases and the polling in Anantnag-Rajouri is scheduled to be held on May 25 in the sixth phase. (ANI)