Centre gung-ho over Myanmar operation

The Modi government was gung-ho over the Army’s hot pursuit of militants in Myanmar. Union Ministers lavished praise on the Army for carrying out the daring operation and also stressed on the Modi government’s “resolve to fight terror”.

Opposition Congress also congratulated the Indian Army for its heroic success in Manipur but at the same time counselled the government against going overboard on sensitive strategic matters.

“The military action against insurgents with assistance from the Myanmarese government speaks volumes about India’s resolve to fight terror. This is a lesson and a message to all the terror groups that India will not hesitate in going beyond its geographical borders to eliminate terrorists,” Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters in Mumbai.

In Delhi, Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said the Union cabinet, at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, discussed the Myanmar operation but refused to divulge into any details.

Junior Minister of Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said the Army operation was a message to all nations that harbour any ill-intentions.

“Even if there are groups within countries that harbour terror intentions, we will choose the time and the place of hitting them.” He told a television channel.

Congress spokesperson Ajay Maken pointed out that the previous UPA government had signed an agreement with Myanmar that made such operations possible. At the same time, he said such incidents should not be politicised.

“Do not go overboard on sensitive strategic matters,” Maken said when asked to comment on the statements of union ministers. Meanwhile, Modi has sent Minister of State in the PMO Jitendra Singh to Manipur to take stock of the situation in the aftermath of the Army operation.