Haveri: Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Saturday while addressing a rally in Karnataka asked PM Narendra Modi to tell the nation that it was the BJP government which released terror outfit JeM chief Masood Azhar from an Indian jail.
Addressed a rally in Haveri, Karnataka, Rahul Gandhi stated “A few days back CRPF personnel were killed in Pulwama. I want to ask the prime minister that who killed them? What is the name of the chief of JeM? Wasn’t is a BJP government that freed Masood Azhar from an Indian jail.”
He reminded Prime Minister Narendra Modi that in 1999 it was the then BJP led central government which released Masood Azhar.
“I have a small question for Modi. Who killed CRPF jawans? What is the name of JeM chief? His name is Masood Azhar, and it was the BJP government in 1999 that sent him from Indian jail to Pakistan through Kandahar in Afghanistan.”
He further added that “Why are you not speaking about it. Why are you not saying that the person who killed CRPF jawans was sent to Pakistan by BJP? Modiji we are not like you. We don’t bow in front of terror. Make it clear to people to India who sent Masood Azhar.”
In 1999, India released Masood Azhar in exchange of passengers of the hijacked Indian Airlines plane IC-814 during the BJP government which was led by Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Tensions between the two neighbours heightened following the February 14 Kashmir suicide bombing that killed over 40 CRPF troopers which were claimed by the Pakistan based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). India retaliated by bombing JeM’s biggest training camp in Balakot, Pakistan.