Narendra Modi's 'saboot vs sapoot' jibe in Meerut: For PM, those demanding Balakot strike proof are seeking evidence of jawans' valour

In response to the Opposition’s demand for ‘proof’ in the aftermath of the Balakot air strike on 26 February in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province across the Line of Control, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday “ Kya humein saboot chahiye ya sapoot chahiye ? Mere desh ke sapoot hi mere desh ke sabse bada saboot hai. Jo saboot maangte hain woh sapoot ko lalkaarte hain”.

PM Modi at a rally in Meerut, "Kya humein saboot chahiye ya sapoot chahiye? Mere desh ke sapoot hi mere desh ke sabse bada saboot hai. Jo saboot maangte hain woh sapoot ko lalkaarte hain." pic.twitter.com/7r7ltTk5jR

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) March 28, 2019

Addressing his first campaign rally for the upcoming Lok Sabha election in Meerut, Modi offered a rhythmic rebuttal to the Congress, which has repeatedly been asking for proof of the damage caused to terror outfits across the border. The ‘sapoots’ or worthy sons of the Indian Armed Forces, according to the prime minister, are the ones who risked their lives to quell terror that threatens peace in the Kashmir Valley. By using the word ‘sapoot’, the prime minister drew an inference from the safe return of IAF pilot Abhinandan Vardhaman and the courageous men like him. For Modi, those who are demanding proof of Balakot air strike are demanding proof of the valour and intent of the ‘sapoots’ of the armed forces. The Balakot air strike was India’s response to the 14 February Pulwama terror attack by Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) that killed at least 40 CRPF jawans. Pakistan didn’t stick to its 2004 peace agreement, where it committed to neutralise terror on its soil. In his own way, Modi said that the air strike has sent shivers down the spines of those operating terror outfits across the border. He also said had anything gone wrong in executing the air strike, the Opposition would have demanded his resignation and burnt his effigies. “When the country needed to speak in one voice, 21 Opposition parties gathered in Delhi to adopt a resolution condemning us. They are demanding proof from the armed forces for their act of bravery,” Modi had earlier said at BJP’s Sankalp rally at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan on 3 March. But this time around, with the use of homophones in his attention-grabbing oratory, he conveyed the same message again. The BJP-led Centre’s stand on Balakot has been that it was a pre-emptive, non-military strike and that the government had credible information that more such suicide terror attacks could happen in the future for which it was necessary to take a strong stand and guard its own borders and civilians.