PM Modi visits poll-bound Bihar amid mourning for Pahalgam attack victims
Faces criticism from opposition
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday visited Madhubani in poll-bound Bihar, where he inaugurated multiple development projects and addressed a gathering on National Panchayati Raj Day. This comes despite the recent cancellation of his official programme in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, following the deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
The Kanpur event, which was to witness the inauguration of ₹20,000 crore worth of development projects, was cancelled "in light of the recent terror attack that claimed a number of lives, including that of Shubham – a courageous young son of Kanpur," as per a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) quoted by All India Radio. The PMO noted that “as a mark of respect, it was considered appropriate to defer any celebratory or formal public engagement in Kanpur during this period of grief.”
Despite the sombre national mood, the Prime Minister went ahead with his Bihar visit. In Madhubani, he launched and laid foundation stones for development projects valued at over ₹13,480 crore and delivered a speech to mark National Panchayati Raj Day. He had returned from Saudi Arabia on Wednesday morning, cutting short a diplomatic visit after the Pahalgam attack, and held a high-level security meeting at Delhi airport with NSA Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
However, Modi's presence in Bihar has drawn sharp criticism from the opposition. The Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) questioned the timing of the visit and accused the government of political opportunism amid national mourning.
The Bihar Congress said on social media platform X, “Leader of the opposition Rahul Gandhi has cut short his US trip and returned to Delhi. Meanwhile, Modi ji will hold an election rally in Bihar today! The nation is in mourning, yet the Prime Minister is campaigning!”
The RJD went further, alleging that the Bihar administration was pressuring officials to mobilize crowds for the Prime Minister’s rally. “The pyres of the victims of the Pahalgam terrorist attack have not yet been lit, but the country’s Prime Minister will come to Bihar to campaign and deliver speeches because Bihar is holding elections this year,” the party said. It added that local officials were being forced to ensure attendance through intimidation, calling it “an undeclared emergency.”
Meanwhile, all top leaders of the Janata Dal (United), the BJP’s ally in Bihar, skipped an all-party meeting convened in Delhi on the Pahalgam terror attack. JDU working president Sanjay Kumar Jha said they were prioritising the PM’s programme in Madhubani. “Whatever decision will be taken in the meeting, JDU will stand with the government and support it in the country’s interest,” he added.
The attack at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam on Tuesday killed 28 people, making it one of the deadliest terror strikes in Kashmir since the 2019 Pulwama attack. In response, India has suspended the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 and shut down the integrated checkpost at Attari, delivering what it described as a strong diplomatic message to Pakistan.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister has called a meeting of the National Security Committee following these developments.
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IAF to hold 2-day wargame along frontier with Pakistan: NOTAM issued
New Delhi, May 6 (PTI): The Indian Air Force will carry out a two-day mega military exercise along the border with Pakistan from Wednesday that will involve all the frontline fighter jets including Rafale, Su-30 and Jaguar aircraft, sources in the defence establishment said on Tuesday.
The exercise is taking place amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan over the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people.
India's civil aviation authorities have already issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) for the major air exercise that will largely take place along the southern and western section of the Indo-Pakistan border.
India's frontline fighter jets including the Rafale, Su-30 MKI, MiG-29, Mirage-2000, Tejas and AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) aircraft are set to feature in the exercise, the sources said.
In the course of the exercise, the IAF will simulate enemy targets on ground and in the air with deadly precision, they said.
The militaries of both India and Pakistan are on a high alert following rising tensions between the two nations.
Soon after the Pahalgam terror attack, India, citing "cross-border linkages" to the strike, promised severe punishment to those involved in it.
In a high-level meeting with the top defence brass on April 29, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the armed forces have "complete operational freedom" to decide on the mode, targets and timing of India's response to the terror attack.
Air Chief Marshal A P Singh met Prime Minister Modi on Sunday and the Chief of Air Staff briefed him about the IAF's operational readiness.
On Saturday, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi apprised the prime minister on the overall situation in the critical sea lanes in the Arabian Sea.
