Lucknow, May 5 (PTI) A political storm erupted on Monday after Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai mocked the Modi government by hanging 'nimbu-mirchi' on a toy Rafale jet while questioning the Centre's response to the Pahalgam terror attack.
As the BJP accused Rai of insulting the armed forces, the Congress leader doubled down on his criticism and threatened to file defamation suits against TV anchors who allegedly defamed him instead of questioning the government.
BJP MP Amarpal Maurya termed Rai's act another example of the Congress insulting the security forces and casting doubts on their capabilities.
"I want to say that the Congress and all the anti-nationals, whether within the country or outside, will be given a befitting reply," said Maurya, a general secretary in the BJP's state unit.
Speaking to reporters at his Varanasi home on Sunday, Rai questioned the BJP-led Centre for not using Rafale jets following the Pahalgam attack, as he symbolically hung 'nimbu-mirchi' on a toy model labelled "Rafale". "When the Rafale jets were brought to India, the government tied ‘nimbu-mirchi’ to them. I am just reminding the government. When will the ‘nimbu-mirchis’ be removed and the Rafale jets do their work? The people of the country and the family members of those killed in Pahalgam want to know," Rai said.
Emphasising the government's stance on national security, Maurya said, "Our government has given a free hand to the security forces to decide the nature and timing of the assault against the nation's enemies.”
Rai, however, remained firm on his position and expanded his criticism in a fresh statement on Monday evening.
"Terrorists defy the entire security apparatus, enter the country, kill 28 innocent people, and flee – yet the Modi government remains silent on its failures. The government is silent on delivering justice to the martyrs but is active against every Indian who questions its failures," he claimed.
He also alleged that the BJP's IT cell and certain television anchors launched a coordinated attack on him after he raised questions about the use of Rafale jets.
"These anchors, instead of questioning the government, started targeting me. I will file defamation cases against all those who have made false allegations and used abusive language (against me)," Rai said.
Responding to BJP's claim that the Congress insulted the armed forces, Rai said his party stood by the government from the beginning on national security matters.
"The Congress Working Committee has decided that whatever the government does, the Congress will support and stand by it. But some action needs to be taken," he told PTI Videos.
Rai also slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for attending a political rally in Bihar shortly after the Pahalgam attack that killed 26 people, mostly tourists, on April 22.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad said he had not heard Rai's statement but reiterated the opposition's demand for a strong response to the Pahalgam attack.
"I haven't heard what Rai said, but I think the entire opposition, from day one, has been demanding a befitting response against the country's enemies for the dastardly attack. And I think there has been no change in our approach."