Rahul Gandhi accuses PM Modi of leaking information about Balakot air strike

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of 'leaking information' related to the airstrike by India on Pakistan's Balakot in 2019, to a 'journalist'.

Speaking to media in Karur on the third day of his three-day visit to Tamil Nadu, the former Congress president said the Official Secrets Act was breached by one of 'five people' who had the information about the strike and the 'journalist' who was 'busy telling other people' 'three days ahead" of Balakot airstrike.

"If the information was available to a journalist, if it was on WhatsApp, I'm sure the forces that are interested in this information, the enemy forces, can also access it. I'm asking a very simple question, why is it that there is no inquiry?" Gandhi said responding to a question related to the alleged chat leak of a 'journalist' about the Balakot airstrike.

"Only these five people knew. Somebody out of these five people has told the journalist. If it is not the Prime Minister, why has he not ordered an inquiry and said that treason has taken place? Somebody out of these five people has put the nation and Indian Air Force at risk. I want to find out who it is. Why has he (Prime Minister) not done that? The only reason he has not done that is because he is involved in this type of leaking of information," he stated.

The Congress leader further said the availability of confidential information of a social media site WhatsApp equates to the 'breach' of the Official Secrets Act.

"The fact that this information is on WhatsApp and this gentleman knew about it three days before, of course, Official Secrets Act has been breached. The act has been breached by one of those five people and also by this person who is busy telling somebody else," he stated.

The Member of Parliament from Wayanad also talked about Congress alliance with Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) for the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections scheduled to happen in April-May, and said he has full faith in the alliance.

"The aim of the alliance is to stop the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ) ideology from coming to Tamil Nadu. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has the remote control with which he is controlling the government of Tamil Nadu. We are going to take out the batteries of that remote control, and throw it away," he added.

(The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text)