Former Punjab CM Channi stirs firestorm, calls Poonch terrorist attack 'pre-poll stunt' by BJP

During the ongoing Lok Sabha elections campaign, there's a big argument over a event: a terrorist attack on an Air Force group in Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir. Charanjit Singh Channi, who used to be the boss in Punjab and is now trying to win a seat in Lok Sabha with the Congress, said something that made a lot of people mad. He said the attack was just a trick to help the BJP win votes.

What did Channi say?

Channi told reporters that he thinks the attack wasn't real and was just done to make people vote for the BJP. He said something similar had happened before. But many people didn't like what he said, saying it wasn't right to say that when soldiers lost their lives.

Watch the video here:

#WATCH | Jalandhar, Punjab: On the attack by terrorists on the Indian Air Force vehicle in J&K's Poonch yesterday, Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi says, "This is stuntbaazi. When elections come, such stunts are done to make the BJP win. These are pre-planned attacks, there… pic.twitter.com/5PGNPKq6rA

— ANI (@ANI) May 5, 2024

BJP's reaction

The BJP, the other big political party, got upset with Channi's words. They said he was being disrespectful to the soldiers who got hurt or died. One BJP leader said Channi was just trying to score points for his party by saying something mean about the BJP.

What do BJP leaders think?

Union Minister Anurag Thakur strongly criticized former Punjab Chief Minister and Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi for his comments about the recent terror attack in Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir. Thakur demanded an apology from top Congress leaders, including Congress president Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, and Rahul Gandhi.

Thakur, while talking to reporters, questioned the Congress party's stance, asking if past wars like the 1962, 1965, and 1971 wars were fought just to win elections. He called Channi's statement ridiculous and urged the Congress leaders to apologize for questioning the capabilities of our armed forces. Thakur expressed disappointment, asking how low the Congress party would go and if they would disrespect our brave soldiers just to win elections.

Another BJP leader, Sunil Jakhar, was especially mad because Channi is part of the big group that makes decisions for the Congress party. Jakhar said Channi's words were not okay, and all the parties against the BJP should say sorry for what Channi said.

Jakhar said it's not right to play politics with serious things like attacks on our soldiers. He wants all the parties against the BJP to say sorry and promise not to say things like that again.