29 May,2025 06:21 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Union Minister of State Ramdas Athawale advised Pakistan to stop supporting terrorists and hand over PoJK back to India. File pic
Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Ramdas Athawale, on Thursday stated that he was not aware of any surgical strike carried out during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government (2004-14) under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and that there was no information available about it.
Before being part of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the Republic Party of India (Athawale), headed by the minister, was a constituent of the Congress-led UPA government.
Referring to Operation Sindoor, Athawale said, "Before this, another surgical strike had been carried out during the Narendra Modi government only. Congress leaders might say that a surgical strike had been conducted during Manmohan Singh's tenure. But there is no such information. I was with the Congress and part of the UPA at that time. I do not have any information about any such surgical strike."
He also said that Operation Sindoor, India's retaliatory strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK) following the April 22 Pahalgam attack, serves as a lesson for the neighbouring country. The minister also advised Pakistan to stop supporting terrorists and hand over PoJK back to India.
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"The entire world knows that action like Operation Sindoor was necessary. Terrorists came from Pakistan and killed our people at Pahalgam in Kashmir," Athawale further stated.
Dismissing allegations that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was politicising India's military strikes on Pakistan, Athawale said, "Operation Sindoor was necessary to teach Pakistan a lesson. There is no need to politicise the issue. PM Modi is not politicising it."
He also responded to Congress leader Jairam Ramesh's remarks on the BJP's silence over United States President Donald Trump claiming credit for ceasefire efforts between India and Pakistan.
"Trump has put forward his views. The reason behind the prevailing peaceful situation is because we succeeded in destroying terrorist camps in Pakistan. India has always maintained that PoK should be returned. Trump has no role in it," the minister said.
"India has always maintained that discussion with Pakistan will have no intermediary. We do not need anyone for that," he added.
Slamming Pakistan for its continuous to support terrorism, the minister said, "Pakistan never learnt its lessons as it trained terrorists and sent them to India. If it keeps doing so, Pakistan must have learnt by now that India may destroy it. Pakistan should stop supporting terrorists and hand over PoK back to India."
He also stated that for the upcoming local body elections in Maharashtra, his party will remain with the BJP, even if the other alliance partners of the ruling Mahayuti alliance contest elections on their own.
"Aligning with RPI (A) will be beneficial for the BJP," he said.
(With PTI inputs)
