A day after his ‘no necessity to wage war against Pakistan’ remark sparked a massive row, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah took a U-turn on Sunday, stating that war should be waged only when it becomes absolutely unavoidable.
Responding to a media query about discussions surrounding his statement that “war is not needed,” CM Siddaramaiah is Bengaluru said, “War cannot offer a solution. It should be considered only when there is no other option.”
He further questioned the central government over the security arrangements and said, “I have pointed out that there has been a failure in the security system under the Central government. Twenty-six tourists lost their lives in a terrorist attack. Earlier, in the Pulwama attack, 40 soldiers were martyred. The Central government did not provide adequate security.”
Siddaramaiah further emphasised, “Immediate war is not necessary, but that does not mean war should never happen if it becomes inevitable.”
Reacting to the debate on waging a war against Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack, on Saturday, Speaking to reporters in Mysuru, Siddaramaiah said, “There is no necessity to wage a war against Pakistan. Strict security measures must be initiated. We are not in favour of waging war. There should be peace, people must feel secure, and the Central government should ensure effective security arrangements.”
When asked about the Central government acknowledging a security lapse in Pahalgam, the Chief Minister said, “I have spoken the truth regarding the security lapse behind the Pahalgam terror attack. Proper security arrangements should have been made. That was a tourist spot visited by a large number of tourists. In the same region, at Pulwama, 40 soldiers were killed earlier. They should have been extremely careful.”
He added, “There was both an intelligence failure and a security failure. The people believed they were safe, but the Central government could not provide them security. The people trusted them, but the Central government failed.”
After Pakistan media highlighted Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s remarks against waging war over the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives, the Karnataka BJP slammed him, accusing him of acting like a puppet of the enemy nation.
(With IANS inputs)