A day after Hamas terrorists unleashed carnage in Israel, ‘journalist’ turned politician Prashant Kanojia claimed on Sunday (8th October) that the terror attack was orchestrated by the Benjamin Netanyahu-led Israeli government for political mileage.
In a tweet, he alleged, “Elections in Israel are going to take place soon. The current Israeli Prime Minister is also a coward like the Prime Minister of another nation. He also wants to attack his own citizens and win elections.”
Kanojia, who was previously arrested for peddling fake news, further said, “This is just my speculation but anything and everything is possible in politics.” It must be mentioned that elections in Israel were conducted in November 2022 and the next elections are scheduled to take place in October 2026.
इज़राइल में 2022 में चुनाव हुए थे। अगला चुनाव 2026 में है। उस हिसाब से ये बकलौली थोड़ी ज़्यादा हो गई कनोजिया जी।
— The Hawk Eye (@thehawkeyex) October 8, 2023
इस अति उत्साह में गाजा पट्टी का टिकट मत बुक करा लीजिएगा। क्योंकि अगर वहाँ किसी ने नाम पूछ लिया तो पहले आपके ट्वीट नहीं पढ़े जाएँगे। मुश्किल हो सकती है। https://t.co/4L4XjxJr63 pic.twitter.com/K67BrCu59g
As such, his conspiracy theory is based on the lie of an upcoming election (which is meant to take place 3 years later). Kanojia made the outrageous claims in order to pacify his follower base of Hamas sympathisers, who have been leaving no stone unturned to downplay the terror attack on Israel.
The former ‘journalist’, who now works as the National Campaign Incharge of Rashtriya Lok DAL (RLD), also disseminated the conspiracy theory about the supposed involvement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2019 Pulwama terror attack.
Without taking names, he insinuated that the Indian government killed its own people and somehow the Benjamin Netanyahu-led Israeli government is following suit to win elections. Following outrage on social media, Kanojia deleted his tweet without citing any apology.
Pulwama attack and the never-ending conspiracy theory of Opposition leaders
On February 14, 2019, a convoy of vehicles carrying Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel to Srinagar via National Highway 44 came under a suicide bombing attack.
A 22-year-old Adil Ahmad Dar, a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist from Kakapora in Jammu and Kashmir, rammed his explosive-laden vehicle into a bus carrying the CRPF personnel. More than 40 of our jawans were martyred.
The terrorist organization Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), based in Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the attack. They also posted a video of the Islamic terrorist Adil Ahmad Dar, who had joined the outfit in 2018.
Pulwama suicide bomber Adil Dar also cracked a Gaumutra joke before blowing himself apart https://t.co/iOkCBrNAiZ pic.twitter.com/ufdTZUSTsY
— Gems of Bollywood बॉलीवुड के रत्न (@GemsOfBollywood) April 1, 2021
In an official statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that Pakistan was responsible for assisting terrorist attacks and that JeM founder Maulana Masood Azhar had been “given the freedom to target India.” Soon after, the opposition leaders tried to pin the blame on Narendra Modi instead and tried to spin conspiracy theories around the attack.
The anti-Modi sentiment and the fear of getting wiped out from the political spectrum ahead of the 2019 general elections were so deep-rooted in the opposition leaders that they went on to accuse Modi of executing this brutal attack for BJP’s political gains. Many of them also questioned the role of the armed forces during this attack.
Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu, who often expresses his love towards the terrorist state of Pakistan issued a shocking clean chit to Pakistan by claiming that ‘Terrorism has no country’ and indicated that Pakistan has no role in the Pulwama terrorist attack.
While condemning the heinous terrorist attack on the CRPF soldiers, Navjot Singh Sidhu said that terrorism has no country, giving a clean chit to Pakistan despite Jaish-e-Mohammed, a terrorist group based in Pakistan and backed by the Pakistani establishment, taking the responsibility for the attack on CRPF soldiers at Pulwama.
Former Congress MP from Uttar Pradesh’s Rampur, Noor Bano, during an interaction with the media leveled charges against security forces and accused them of exercising negligence prior to Pulwama terrorist attack.
“What happened was unfortunate, and the incident affects all of us. We do not know how BJP will churn out benefits from this incident. They will exploit the incident. It is the responsibility of the armed forces, to protect people. I saw on television, that they had prior information, but then how they failed to avert the attack?” Congress leader Noor Bano was quoted by reports.
Gujarat Congress leader from Junagadh, Vinu Amipara also parroted similar lines. He said, “Whenever there are elections, they(BJP) do something like this. Earlier, Godhra carnage was carried out (before the 2002 Gujarat elections) and today, the Pulwama attack is also suspicious. The soldiers are murdered. When Congress comes to power, then we will investigate this.”
Indian Air Force carried out an air strike at Balakot in Pakistan after the Pulwama terror attack. Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh doubted the surgical strikes instantly while trying to downplay the Pulwama terror attack. He started with a disclaimer that we are proud of our armed forces and have complete faith in them.
He lauded the armed forces for the service they provide in protecting the nation. However, he added, following the ‘Pulwama accident’, reports in various foreign media regarding the “air strike” have created doubt in his mind. This apparently made him question the credibility of the Indian government as well.
हमें हमारी सेना पर उनकी बहादुरी पर गर्व है व सम्पूर्ण विश्वास है। सेना में मैंने मेरे अनेकों परिचित व निकट के रिश्तेदारों को देखा है किस प्रकार वे अपने परिवारों को छोड़ कर हमारी सुरक्षा करते हैं। हम उनका सम्मान करते हैं।
— digvijaya singh (@digvijaya_28) March 5, 2019
Downplaying terror attacks or absolving the actual terrorists and pinning the blame on someone he doesn’t agree with politically is not something new for Singh. In 2010, months after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, Digvijaya Singh, along with filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and others launched a book that claimed that the Mumbai terror attacks were an RSS conspiracy.
Just a week after the dastardly attack by the terrorist belonging to the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammad claimed the lives of 40 CRPF soldiers, the Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala rubbed salt on their wounds by alleging that the terrorist was a ‘Home-grown so-called terrorist’. While addressing a presser, the Congress spokesperson insulted the sacrifice of the martyred soldiers by referring to the terrorist who killed them as a ‘so-called terrorist’. Surjewala also called into question the functioning of the Armed forces when he called the terrorist as ‘Home-grown’, providing an alibi to Pakistan.
Congress leader Kapil Sibal joined the bandwagon after the air strikes. He tweeted, “Modiji: Is international media: 1) New York Times 2) London based Jane’s Information Group 3) Washinton Post 4) Daily Telegraph 5) The Guardian 6) Reuters reporting no proof of militant losses at Balakot pro-Pakistan? You are guilty of politicizing terror?”
क्या अमित शाह के मुताबिक़ सेना झूठ बोल रही है?
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) March 4, 2019
सेना ने साफ़ साफ़ कहा है कि कोई मरा या नहीं मरा या कितने मरे, ये नहीं कहा जा सकता।
अपने चुनावी फ़ायदे के लिए क्या अमित शाह और भाजपा सेना को झूठा बोल रहे हैं?
देश को सेना पर भरोसा है। क्या अमित शाह और भाजपा को सेना पर भरोसा नहीं? https://t.co/IkBh92hT5e
While addressing a press conference, Goa Congress leader Chellakumar alleged that the Pulwama attack was orchestrated by PM Modi. Chellakumar said, “People are not fools anymore. This man will go to any extent. Because, Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi and Amit Shah together… even recently video clipping has come out, even the Godhra incident was planned by BJP and stuff like that. Their own man has said that, not some Congress leader. I will not take the name but someone from the BJP circle has claimed that the Godhra incident was manipulated and orchestrated by the BJP. If it is so, why not this Pulwama incident also? They have identified all the jawan’s bodies. Where is the terrorist’s body? Till now they could not show to the people. So he is not a public representative. Not a public leader.”
The former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti, also attempted to justify the horrible atrocity committed by terrorist Ahmad Dar and pinned the blame on the government for its ‘muscular approach’ forcing gullible youths in the Valley to take up arms.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also questioned Balakot air strikes. He tweeted, “Is the army lying according to Amit Shah? The army has clearly said that whether someone died or not or how many died, cannot be said. Are Amit Shah and BJP telling lies to the army for their electoral gains? The country has faith in the army. Do Amit Shah and the BJP have no faith in the army?”
Sam Pitroda, one of the accused in the National Herald ‘cheating and breach of trust’ scam and one of the most trusted aides of Congress President Rahul Gandhi, demanded proof of the Balakot airstrikes carried out by the Indian Air Force on Jaish-e-Mohammad terror camps in Pakistan.
He questioned, did we really kill 300 people? “I don’t know that. As a citizen, I am entitled to know. And if I ask, it is my duty to ask. That does not mean I am not a nationalist. That does not mean I am on this side or that side. We need to know the facts. If you say 300 people were killed, I need to know that. We all need to know that. The people of India need to know that. And then the global media says that nobody was killed. I look bad as an Indian citizen,” he said.
As the nation remembers the martyrs of the Pulwama terror attack, people should not forget that these leaders from the opposition parties accused Narendra Modi of this attack, questioned the role of the Indian army, peddled a narrative that the Indian army was responsible for the suicide bomber of Pulwama joining a terrorist outfit, and finally questioned the valor of the Indian Air Force after the Balakot air strike.
