Chandigarh, June 3: Punjab finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal on Friday said the country witnessed deterioration of internal security during the three-year rule of the Modi government at the Centre.
Addressing a press conference, he said in the past three years, the country has suffered 172 terror attacks, including the attack at Dinanagar police station, a BSF convoy at Udhampur, the Pathankot Air base, the army base at Uri and the Nagrota army camp.
“During this period, 578 jawans were martyred and 877 civilians killed. In J&K alone, 203 jawans were martyred. In the past six months, Pakistan beheaded our soldiers on three occasions,” he added.
Manpreet said though the BJP can gain in short term due to its divisive politics as was witnessed in the Uttar Pradesh elections, but its long-term ramifications would be damaging for India.
He accused the Modi government of compromising with the country’s security.
“The strength of Indian Air Force has been reduced to 32 squadrons, which is lowest in the past 10 years. It ideally should have been at 45. There is a shortage of 9,242 officers and 52,000 jawans in the armed forces,” he said.
“The defence budget is getting reduced every year and on top of that, around Rs 35,000 crore has been lying unspent in the past three years,” he added.
News Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com
