Congress MP and former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi faced criticism on Saturday despite backtracking from his remarks questioning the authenticity of the 2019 surgical strikes, with BJP leaders slamming his remarks as "anti-national," and accusing him of demoralising India's armed forces.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday after a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, Channi said, "We have never seen where in Pakistan the strikes were done and where people were killed. If someone threw a bomb in our country, will people not know? They claim to have conducted surgical strikes against Pakistan but nothing had happened. Surgical strikes were not seen anywhere and no one knew about them.”
Channi later backtracked in the face of criticism and said that no proof was sought for it.
NC chief Farooq Abdullah criticised the timing and said, "This is not a time to say such things. If we say such things, it will strengthen the neighbour.”
Union MoS Ramdas Athawale said, "On one side Congress is saying that they stand with us but on other side they are asking for proof of surgical strike. What is the need of that now?”
Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini said, "This is unfortunate. Can't he see such a big attack? He could not even see the Uri attack?"
Union minister Sukanta Majumdar said, "Congress has always been making such claims, which means they don’t trust the Indian Army."
BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh said, "By questioning the surgical strike, Channi has not only insulted the Army but the entire nation. He has disrespected the unity, integrity, and divine power of the country."
JD(U) spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan said, "Channi ji has been quite well-known for his controversial statements, and he has now retracted his latest remarks as well. In fact, flip-flopping in politics seems to be a part of his character. The whole world is watching the bold decisions India has taken. If someone still believes these are not major decisions, then I would say it’s nothing short of intellectual bankruptcy."
Shiv Sena leader Krishna Hegde said, "This is not the first time that the Congress Party has raised questions about the functioning of the government. This is not the first time that the Congress Party has asked the Indian Army for proof. During the surgical strikes, the Congress Party also demanded proof from the Indian Army. It seems that the Congress Party is aligning with terrorism, echoing Pakistan's stance and casting doubts on the Indian government and Indian Army."
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, "He felt that way, which is why he is saying it. He used to be the Chief Minister, he knows well. Whether it was surgical or air (strike), the way it was praised, 'we’ll go in and hit them', it all became filmy."
On Friday, Channi had also said the government has not taken any action even after 10 days of the Pahalgam terror attack and claimed that steps, such as annulling visas of Pakistanis and putting the Indus Waters Treaty on hold, have no meaning.