Amid row, Charanjit Singh Channi clarifies 'stunt not attack' remark on Poonch assault

On Sunday, Channi called the Poonch terror attack in which an IAF soldier was killed and four were injured, a “stunt” meant to make the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) win the Lok Sabha elections.

Responding to a query about the assault on the IAF's convoy in Poonch, Channi had said: "'Yeh stuntbaazi ho rahi hai, hamle nahi ho rahe' (These are all stunts, not attacks)."

The remark by the former Punjab chief minister and Congress candidate from the Jalandhar parliamentary constituency triggered a massive row with Union Minister Anurag Thakur asking the party leadership to seek an apology from Channi for insulting soldiers with this statement.

Amid the row, Channi Monday posted on X: "I always bow my head in reverence to the martyrdom of our army soldiers. The army has consistently done a tremendous job safeguarding our borders from enemies. A few days ago, militants attacked a convoy of Indian Air Force soldiers in District Poonch (J&K), resulting in the martyrdom of a soldier. I pay my respects to the memory of the fallen soldier."

The Congress leader clarified that he only meant that whenever such incidents occur, the central government "tries to exploit them for political gains".

"Recently, my statement regarding this incident was published in newspapers, where I emphasized that whenever such incidents occur, the government often tries to exploit them for political gain. I only criticized this mentality of the ruling party in my statement. Once again, I feel profound pain and sorrow about this incident, and not only I, but the entire nation is always proud of the valor of our Defense Forces," he said.

One soldier was killed and four others injured when terrorists ambushed an Indian Air Force (IAF) convoy in Poonch district on Saturday, just three weeks before polling in the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency.

Officials suspect the involvement of the same group of terrorists who attacked troops in nearby Bufliaz on Dec 21 last year, resulting in the deaths of four soldiers and injuries to three others.