October 25, 2020 5:34:13 pm
In a controversial comment, BJP Uttar Pradesh chief Swatantra Dev Singh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided when the country would be at war with Pakistan and China.
His remarks on Friday came amid tension on the Royal Line of Control between India and China, where the two countries have massed troops.
The BJP leader linked his claim to the start of construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya following a Supreme Court ruling and the repeal of special status to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution.
“Like the decisions on Ram Mandir and Article 370, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided when there would be war with Pakistan and China,” he is heard saying in a video clip on social media.
“Sambandhit tithi tai hai,” he said in Hindi, stating that a decision has been made on the date.
Singh was speaking at an event at the home of BJP MLA Sanjay Yadav, who released the video.
In his speech, Singh compared the workers of the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party to “terrorists”.
When asked about the comments, local MP Ravindra Kushwaha said the UP BJP chairman made them to boost the morale of the party’s workers.
Swatantra Dev Singh’s statements appear to deviate from India’s stated position.
On Sunday, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh reiterated that India wanted to end the border tension with China and said it would not allow anyone to take “an inch” of land.
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