Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Wednesday said he had had a limited role in the surgical strikes carried out by the Indian Army along the Line of Control on September 29. He lauded the Indian Army for its bravery and showered praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving his go-ahead to the operation. Parrikar said he had only helped in the “decision-making ability and planning”, while it was Modi and the Army who deserved the real credit.

The defence minister told the audience at the Materials Engineering Technology conference in Mumbai that the strikes were not conducted by any political party. In a veiled manner, Parrikar took a jibe at Opposition parties when he said, “Credit for the surgical strike goes to every Indian, including the doubting Thomas.”

In another event, Parrikar refuted Congress leaders’ claims that such operations had been conducted during their term but they had not publicised it. He said, “I have been defence minister for over two years, and from whatever I’ve learnt, there was no surgical strike anytime earlier.” He added that the Congress was most likely referring to action taken by border security teams, which is “common practice across the globe”.

After Parrikar's remarks, the Congress accused the BJP of lying and asked the defence minister to apologise. Party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the armed forces had carried out surgical strikes numerous times during the Congress regime, The Times of India reported. He said such strikes were carried out during the wars of 1947, 1962, 1965, 1972 and 1998.

This is not the first time Parrikar has criticised political leaders for doubting the surgical strikes. On October 6, he had said, “No one ever doubted the bravery of our forces, but for the first time, some people are expressing doubts. There’s a reason why they are asking for proof. Many people are afraid that Modi’s image will increase [after the surgical strikes].”

While Pakistan had claimed that the strikes had never taken place, several Opposition party leaders, including Congress' Sanjay Nirupam and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal, had questioned the veracity of the mission.

On September 29, the Indian Army had announced that they had carried out surgical strikes along the LoC with Pakistan, targeting terror launchpads. Pakistan, however, had denied it and claimed that it was only cross-border firing. The Pathankot attack and the Uri attack in September have led to increased tension between India and Pakistan. Security forces have been on high alert since.