You cannot win elections over Jawans' blood: Mamata tells BJP

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], March 5 (ANI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) cannot win elections over jawans' blood.
"You (BJP) cannot win elections over jawans' blood. A jawan sheds his blood for the country. Jawans serve the country, they do not indulge in politics. I strongly condemn those who play politics with martyrs," Mamata said, adding that the Centre is playing politics over the Pulwama terror attack. 
Mamata went on to say: "We are against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party. Modi has turned the BJP into a private organisation. Whenever someone says something against Modi babu, then that person is branded a Pakistan supporter."
"My father was a freedom fighter, I will not learn patriotism from them," she added.
Last week, Mamata had asked the government to spell out "details" of the exact place where the air raids were carried out and the casualties inflicted as international media claimed that there was no damage in the strikes.
"We, as the Opposition, want to know the details of the air strike. Where were the bombs dropped? How many people died? I was reading the New York Times and Washington Post and they said that there were no casualties. Some media houses said one died. We want to know the details," Banerjee had told reporters. 
She had also said that her party respected the armed forces and did not like sacrifices made by soldiers being politicised.
"We are with the armed forces. We respect them. But, I don't like those who indulge in politics over the sacrifices made by our jawans. This is unacceptable and I condemn this," Banerjee further said.
Tensions spiralled between India and Pakistan after the Indian Air Force on February 26 carried out aerial strikes at a JeM terror training camp in Balakot. The strikes were in response to the terror attack carried out by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in Pulwama in which 40 CRPF personnel lost their lives. 
The Balakot camp, located in a forest area atop a hill, was headed by JeM chief Masood Azhar’s brother-in-law Yusuf Azhar alias Ustad Gauri, who was involved in the 1999 hijack of Indian Airlines plane IC-814 and was on Interpol lookout notice since 2000.
Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said the “pre-emptive” strike by India had become absolutely necessary as there was credible information that JeM was planning further attacks in the country.
On February 27, India said it foiled an attempt by Pakistan Air Force to carry out strikes in Jammu and Kashmir by shooting down an F-16 fighter plane while losing its own MiG-21 jet after which a pilot was “missing in action”.
Pakistan later acknowledged that Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who ejected across the Line of Control, is in its custody.
On March 1, Pakistan released Abhinandan as a "peace gesture". (ANI)