NEW DELHI, May 28: Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said that the “56-inch chest” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not decreased “an inch” and asserted that there should be no doubt on that score.
He also said if Pakistan does not have the capability to curb terrorist activities in its territory, it should seek India’s help.
Singh was asked by Rajat Sharma on his programme “Aap ki Adalat” on India TV about Modi’s Lok Sabha election campaign in which he had said that a “56-inch chest” was needed to tackle Pakistan.
“It has not decreased. I am the Home Minister. I know confidential matters. I have the IB with me. It has not decreased. There should be no doubts on that score. I can only say that the 56-inch chest is there,” the channel quoted Singh as saying in a press release.
The Home Minister said he wanted to give a message to Pakistan that it should curb terrorist activities on its soil.
“If Pakistan feels it does not have the capacity to curb terrorist activities, it should seek assistance from India. If they want, it can happen. They can also seek assistance from other countries of the world,” he said.
Singh said there has been a 52 per cent decline in infiltration from Pakistan in the last two years. The number of security personnel killed by Maoists has come down.
On the terror attack in Pathankot, he said it is because of the Government’s strategy that the US asked Pakistan to cooperate in the investigation into the attack.
The Minister said that “some papers” on the Ishrat Jehan case were missing.
“Some papers that should have been there in the Home Ministry files are not available. I have formed a committee to investigate. We will soon get the committee’s report. It will reveal who is guilty?,” Singh said adding changes were made in the files by persons belonging to Congress because of political reasons.
Asked why Pragya Thakur was given clean chit by the National Investigation Agency in the Malegaon blast case, Singh said things became clear once the probe agency went into it.
The NIA has been given maximum autonomy that it need not even send files to Home Ministry for legal opinion and it can send them directly to the Law Ministry, he said.
To a question why all the witnesses in the Malegaon case changed their version within two years, the Minister said, “Ask the NIA why there was an earlier version and why a different one now.”
On the issue of blackmoney, Singh said no promise was ever made during the election campaign that Rs 15 lakh would be deposited in everybody’s bank account.
“I was then the President of the party. It is under my leadership, the party manifesto is prepared. I never made any such statement. There was a perception that given the huge amount of offshore blackmoney present, the average came to Rs 15 lakh per person but this was merely an example nothing else,” he said.
On Haryana Chief Minister M L Khattar’s remarks that Muslims eating beef have no place in India, he said, “No. I completely I disagree with this.
“All Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims, Parisis, who are borne in the womb of India, are offsprings of Bharat Mata. All of us have to stay and work together.” (PTI)
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