‘Balakot strike information made available to Arnab Goswami through PM Modi’: Rahul Gandhi alleges

Karur: Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday alleged that India’s air strike on terrorists at Balakot in Pakistan was made available to Republic Television Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami through Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Addressing the public on the third and final day of his election campaign here, Mr.Gandhi said “Narendra Modi is the person through which prior information on India’s air strikes in Balakot in 2019 was made available to  Mr Arnab Goswami.”

“Only five people, including the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister, would have prior information of the planned air strikes. Some days back it came to light that a Journalist knew about the airstrikes in Balakot. Three days before the Indian Air Force bombed Pakistan, an Indian journalist was told it was going to happen. This meant the lives of our IAF pilots were put at risk,” Mr Gandhi said.

He further said five people in this world knew about Balakot information. Prime Minister of India, the Defence Minister of India, the National Security Advisor and the Chief of the Air Force and the Home Minister.

Nobody else in the world knew about Balakot before it happened. Now I want to understand why an inquiry has not started on who told this journalist (Arnab Goswami) about Balakot before it happened, he said.

The reason is that one of these five people told this man. One of these five people betrayed our Air Force, the former AICC President said.

Mr.Gandhi accused that one of these people put the lives of our pilots in danger. “If the Prime Minister did not do it then why is he not ordering an inquiry. Think about it. The only reason that the Prime Minister has not ordered an inquiry is because he is the person through which that message has gone to the journalist,” he alleged.

Otherwise, Mr Modi should investigate and tell which one of these five people did it, the Congress leader asked.

India conducted an aerial strike at a terror training centre in Balakot on February 26, 2019 after 40 CRPF personnel were killed in a terror attack by Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed.

Three days before the IAF strike, Mr Arnab Goswami told former BARC CEO Partho Dasgupta that something big will happen in a WhatsApp chat.

Opposition parties strongly slammed the Centre for Arnab Goswami’s alleged knowledge about the Air Strike and said it indicated leakage of highly classified information. (UNI)