Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s campaign pitch for the seventh and last phase of Assembly polls in the crucial State of Uttar Pradesh was peppered with references to the Russia-Ukraine war, the Galwan Valley clash between India and China, and the free rations provided by the government.
Speaking in Malhani in Jaunpur district, where the Bahujan Samaj Party’s (BSP) Dhananjay Singh is tipped to win, Mr. Singh referenced the Russia-Ukraine war in the context of the Centre’s Operation Ganga for the evacuation of Indian nationals stuck in war-torn Ukraine. “Prime Minister Modi’s actions have enhanced India’s reputation internationally,” he said at all three rallies — one in Janunpur and two in Chandauli district — that he addressed on Friday.
In Sakaldia in Chandauli, he spoke of the Galwan Valley clash between India and China, and attacked what he termed the Opposition’s lack of faith in the Indian Army. “The Opposition has continuously questioned whether our brave soldiers got the better of the Chinese, despite all evidence attesting to the acts of valour. In my statement in Parliament, because of diplomatic nuances, I did not speak of the casualty figures of the Chinese. But truth cannot be hidden for long, and an Australian newspaper, The Klaxon, investigated on its own and said that, in fact, Chinese casualties were between 38-50. Our own casualty figures are well-known, of course. The Opposition needs to introspect,” he said to applause.
