Prashant Kishor apologizes after NDA leaders miss martyr's last rites
What's the story
JD(U) Vice President Prashant Kishor apologized on his party's behalf after no one from the Bihar government attended the final rites of CRPF inspector Pintu Kumar Singh, who was martyred in an encounter on Friday in Kupwara, Jammu and Kashmir. Kishor called it an "error of judgment" after kin of the martyr said the government was only concerned about remaining in power. Here's more.
Encounter
Backstory: Five security personnel martyred, two terrorists killed in operation
India lost five security personnel, including three CRPF personnel and two J&K policemen, in the encounter which lasted nearly 60 hours. Two terrorists, one of whom was Pakistani, were also killed in the operation. The gunfight began on Friday and concluded on Sunday afternoon. Since the terrorists were holed up in a congested area, forces had to evacuate houses before starting the operation.
What happened
As expected, Bihar ministers were busy with PM Modi's rally
Inspector Pintu belonged to Begusarai area of Bihar. His mortal remains arrived at Patna airport at 8:30 AM on Sunday and no representative from the government turned up. Three hours later, senior leaders of JD(U) and BJP went to the airport to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who addressed a rally in Gandhi Maidan. The lack of empathy displayed by NDA leaders caught attention.
Grief
Pintu didn't get honor he deserved, says uncle
The martyr's uncle Sanjay Kumar Singh was disappointed with NDA's stand. "Pintu has not received the honor he deserved from the state government. No NDA leader came to the airport," Singh said. He said this showed the real face of government. Notably, Congress state chief Madan Mohan Jha went to the airport to pay his last respect to the brave soldier.
Quote
NDA leaders are worried about PM Modi's rally: Singh
"NDA leaders were more concerned about Sankalp rally of (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi. They have neglected to pay homage to a brave soldier who was killed for the country," Singh added.
Twitter Post
We are sorry, says Kishor
We are sorry for the error of judgement on part of those of us who should have been there with you in this hour of grief. pic.twitter.com/DIhpiKlyd6
— Prashant Kishor (@PrashantKishor) March 3, 2019
Politics
Opposition has been slamming BJP for politicizing security forces
Notably, the Opposition has upped its ante against BJP in recent days accusing the saffron party of politicizing the actions of forces. The IAF strikes found a place in almost all statements of leaders. While Opposition said BJP was using forces to hide its failures, the saffron party dismissed the allegations. In response to criticism, BJP claimed Opposition parties were doubting soldiers' valor.