A political row broke out on Sunday over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comments in a television interview over the timing of the Balakot air strikes. In this interview, PM Modi had outlined how the government had decided to go ahead with the strike at Jaish-e-Mohammed’s biggest terror training camp despite a cloud cover. “The weather suddenly turned bad. There was a doubt about whether we can strike in bad weather. During a review (of the Balakot plan), experts said what if we change the date. I had two issues in mind. One was secrecy... second, I said I have a raw vision, the clouds can benefit us too. We can escape the radar. Everyone was confused. Ultimately I said there are clouds... let’s proceed,” he told News Nation on Saturday. Read: ‘Will jawans take EC’s permission before shooting terrorists?’: PM Modi When contacted senior Indian Air Force officer, a fighter pilot involved in Balakot strikes planning, said : “The radars, most probably Swedish Giraffe, used by Pakistanis can see through the cloud cover, but the kill system or missile (probably RBS 70) used to bring down the intruder is equipped with an infra-red homing head. It is the infra-red seeker that get degraded during cloud cover. And hence the difficulty in knocking out the intruding fighter.” PM Modi’s comment nevertheless triggered a series of reaction on social media from opposition parties. It didn’t help that the BJP’s Twitter handle, which tweeted the PM’s remark soon after the interview, deleted it later. Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah was among the first politicians to take a swipe at the Prime Minister. “Looks like the tweet got lost in the clouds. Luckily there are screen shots floating around to help,” Abdullah tweeted, adding, “Pakistani radar doesn’t penetrate clouds. This is an important piece of tactical information that will be critical when planning future air strikes.” The Left leader Sitaram Yechury said: “National security is not something to be trifled with. Such an irresponsible statement from Modi is highly damaging. Somebody like this can’t remain India’s PM.” “#EntireCloudCover is a blockbuster clip. It will be used in the Indian Institute of Science as a case-study,” national spokesperson of the Congress Sanjay Jha tweeted. On February 27, the Indian Air Force had carried out the airstrikes at the Jaish camp deep inside Pakistan. The government said the strikes were designed to destroy the training camp of the Jaish-e-Mohammed for the Pulwama suicide bombing 13 days earlier. Forty CRPF soldiers were killed in the February 14 bombing, the deadliest terror attack on security forces in Jammu and Kashmir in three decades.<doc-sep>CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury says Mr. Modi’s behaviour and statements in a TV channel are in clear and deliberate violation of the guidelines. The CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury has written to the Election Commission alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an interview to a TV news channel, gave out operational details of the Balakot air strikes to influence voters. “This interview wherein Mr. Modi gave out the operational details of a sensitive military mission, with a purpose to influence the voters during the silent period of the campaign needs to be recorded and acted upon by the Commission,” he said. Mr. Yechury said, “His behaviour and statements are in clear and deliberate violation of the guidelines which were reissued and reiterated by the Election Commission before the first round of polling, which made it clear that the armed forces which belong to all of India, cannot be a subject for hyperbolic and false claims by any party for garnering votes.” In the interview, Mr. Modi had said that initially there was some doubt on going ahead of the Balakot strike due to bad weather. He said in his “raw wisdom” he thought that the cloud and rains would help evade the radar (Pakistani) and therefore, despite a cloudy weather, he gave a go ahead. “In an interview aired on News Nation Channel on the eve of polling for the sixth phase, Mr. Modi made an outrageous claim. He said that he approved the cross-border mission of the Indian Air Force despite bad weather and against professional expert advise, because the clouds would hide Indian fighter jets from Pakistani radars,” said Mr. Yechury. Mr. Yechury said it appears that Mr. Modi was mocking the Commission “by violating all rules, codes and guidelines with impunity with damaging consequences for our democracy, of which the Election Commission is the custodian”. “Further news of Mr. Modi using the armed forces to seek votes and mocking the Election Commission comes, this time from an election rally in Kushinagar on May 12. Mr. Modi is reported to have said, ‘Today terrorists were killed by our Army in Kashmir. Now some people are worried as to why did Modi kill the terrorists when voting is under way?..an armed terrorist is attacking, do my jawans go to the Election Commission to seek permission to kill him?.”<doc-sep>Prime Minister Narendra Modi is no stranger to trolling and he's given the troll army more reason to rejoice recently, all thanks to his new 'cloud theory' on the Balakot strikes. In an interview with a TV channel, News Nation, Modi spoke at length about the night of the aerial strike on Pakistan’s Balakot on the night of 26, February 2019. Here is the clip of #EntireCloudCover pic.twitter.com/ePsAyQTmYi — Ankur Bhardwaj (@Bhayankur) 11 May 2019 He said experts contemplated re-scheduling the strikes owing to bad weather. But he used his “raw wisdom” saying that the clouds could help hide the jets from Pakistan's radar. And the rest was internet history and here's how people reacted online: #1 How's the PM? High sir. https://t.co/qTiTj5a6GR — Aditya Menon (@AdityaMenon22) 11 May 2019 ' #2 Modi says he preferred bad weather for the Balakot raid because cloud cover would protect planes from radar detection. And you guys make fun of Rahul Gandhi? — अंशुल (@Ghair_Kanooni) 11 May 2019 #3' Narendra Modi is the kind of absolute Idiot who will ask ISRO to send a Spacecraft to Sun during night because it will be Cooler — Joy (@Joydas) 11 May 2019 At 36 seconds the woman anchor’s expression says it all- — Divya Spandana/Ramya (@divyaspandana) 11 May 2019 #4 #5 Bas kar bc... Aur kitni fekega... pic.twitter.com/xxc41Son1R — Parth 🇰9⃣ ♠✋🏻 (@kapilianJB) 11 May 2019 #6 He is talking about Tata Sky. — Raja Baather of Rathna Fan House Fame (@CussMaulum) 12 May 2019 #7 #8 It was a cloudy and raining when Nirav Modi, Vijay Malya and Choksi escaped from India. — Supariman™ (@SupariMan_) 11 May 2019 Many even pointed out that his claim had no real scientific basis. Radar technology uses radio waves to detect objects, clouds over the Balakot region wouldn't have made any difference. #1 Since Modiji has revealed that he overruled the advice of IAF top brass to reschedule the Balakot air strike bcs of cloud cover, questioning Balakot strike is no longer about the IAF but about Modi’s lack of judgment & inability of cabinet ministers & his aides to dissuade him. — Krishan Partap Singh (@RaisinaSeries) 11 May 2019 On PM Modi's radar & clouds comment, it seems no one clarified for the PM how radars work. If that is the case, then it is a very serious national security issue. No laughing matter! — Salman Anees Soz (@SalmanSoz) 11 May 2019 #2 #3 Air Chief Marshal Modi claims his IAF planners were putting off the Balakot air strikes becoz of bad weather, but his @narendramodi’s operational genius perceived that cloud cover would help the aircraft exfiltrate. India should hang its head in shame for electing this charlatan. https://t.co/3OytoMOiS7 — Ajai Shukla (@ajaishukla) 12 May 2019 Responding to this statement, Congress social media incharge Divya Spandana and Communist Party of India (Marxist) members, Sitaram Yechury and Mohammed Salim, slammed Modi for this statement. #1 FYI @narendramodi the radar to detect planes,cloud or no cloud has been there for decades. Even for the stealth ones. If not, other country’s planes would be crisscrossing the skies firing away at will 🙄 This is what happens when you’re stuck in the past. Get with it Uncle ji. https://t.co/sKYTAmz6jz — Divya Spandana/Ramya (@divyaspandana) 12 May 2019 #2 National security is not something to be trifled with. Such an irresponsible statement from Modi is highly damaging. Somebody like this can’t remain India’s PM. https://t.co/wK992b1kuJ — Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) 11 May 2019 #3 Someone please tell him that radar is different from binoculars. Let’s wait till 23 May, Modi won’t be able to see BJP’s majority either with binoculars or with microscope. He would then need a radar to figure out where to escape from Delhi. #DeshKeDilMeiModi #Phase6 pic.twitter.com/7YMWE2q5Hj — Md Salim (@salimdotcomrade) 11 May 2019<doc-sep>
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has once again come under sharp attack from the Opposition leaders, and this time it is for his claim about airstrikes on terror camps in Pakistan's Balakot. In an interview to a TV channel, News Nation, Modi, speaking of airstrikes on terror camps in Pakistan's Balakot, said it was a usual day for him as he was busy with party programmes. "I first reviewed the operation at around 9-9:30 PM. The problem we faced was that of bad weather. It had rained heavily that day. I am amazed people who criticised me didn't take notice of this fact." Modi, then, explained how his inputs helped execute the operation. "At around 12, we had second thoughts about the entire thing," he said, adding, "we had doubts if we would be able to go." "I said the overcast conditions could actually help. This weather and rain could help our aircraft escape the radar," Modi said. The prime minister said that I still gave the operation a go-ahead and received first reports at 3:20 AM. But Modi's claims haven't gone down well with the Opposition leaders and defence experts. National Conference chief Omar Abdullah took to Twitter and made light of Modi's claims. In an acerbic tweet, Abdullah wrote: "Pakistani radar doesn’t penetrate clouds. This is an important piece of tactical information that will be critical when planning future air strikes." Pakistani radar doesn’t penetrate clouds. This is an important piece of tactical information that will be critical when planning future air strikes. https://t.co/OBHwEJfGSW — Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) May 11, 2019 CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, though, had a critical take on Modi's claims. National security is not something to be trifled with. Such an irresponsible statement from Modi is highly damaging. Somebody like this can’t remain India’s PM. https://t.co/wK992b1kuJ — Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) May 11, 2019 Even the Congress party wasn't far behind. Sharing a screenshot of Modi's comment on Twitter, the party handle labelled it another "jumla." Jumla hi fekta raha paanch saal ki sarkar mein, Socha tha cloudy hai mausam, Nahi aaunga radar mein. pic.twitter.com/xDeOg4Yq5K — Congress (@INCIndia) May 12, 2019 As soon as Narendra Modi's comment was tweeted out, users on microblogging site started sharing their responses too. Here are some interesting tweets. Chalo radar technology Ko Vannakam ðÂÂÂÂÂÂðÂÂÂÂÂÂ Modi ji aap mahan ho ... Eek aapka ' NALI se GAS ' wala aur eek ye ' RADAR - CLOUD ' wala technology, puri duniya hamesh hamesa ke liye yaad rakhegi ðÂÂÂÂÂÂ ðÂÂÂÂÂÂðÂÂ¤¦ðÂÂÂÂ»‍âÂÂÂÂï¸ÂÂðÂÂÂÂÂÂðÂÂ¤£ pic.twitter.com/NuphNi7jTb — Veena D (@The_veenaD) May 11, 2019 For in-depth, objective and more importantly balanced journalism, Click here to subscribe to Outlook Magazine