NEW DELHI – Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday said India had calledPakistan’s nuclear bluff in recent cross-border air strikes that almosttriggered a new war between the nuclear-armed rivals. Modi and his Hindunationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have made national security thefocus of their campaign for a national election now being held.
The prime minister claimed at an election rally that an airstrike insidePakistan in February had shown that warnings the hostilities could escalateinto nuclear conflict were ‘false’.
“Pakistan has threatened us with nuclear, nuclear, nuclear,” Modi told therally in Held Kashmir. “Did we deflate their nuclear threat or not?” heasked the crowd that chanted “Modi, Modi, Modi” in response.
Modi renewed his warning to Pakistan that ‘his new India’ is capable of‘eliminating terrorists in their homes’.
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Modi also vowed that India will never give up its claim to Kashmir, whichis disputed between the two countries, and has been the cause of two warsbetween the neighbours since their independence in 1947.
He also attacked opposition parties who he said were working to ‘separate’Kashmir from India. The BJP has sought to use security to lead its electioncampaign amid a surge of nationalist sentiment since the airstrikes.
