No white flag if Pakistan repeatedly violates ceasefire: Rajnath Singh

Palwal: After BJP officially launched its poll campaign in Haryana for the upcoming Assembly election, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh addressed a rally here on Sunday and touched on the issue of ceasefire violations by Pakistan at the International Border, Rajnath asserted that India wants good and peaceful relations with its neighbour but if the violations continued then the Indian Army will strongly retaliate.

"Wanting peaceful relations with all countries should not be treated as India's weakness," Rajnath said and added that security forces have been directed to give a "befitting" reply to ceasefire violations by Pakistan.

Referring to recent incidents of firing from across the Line of Control, the Home Minister said he has directed BSF "not to keep showing white flag" if the violations by Pakistan continue. "I have asked the BSF DG to tell his force to give a befitting reply to firing from Pakistan," Singh said, addressing BJP's 'Vijay Sankalp Yatra' at Hathin in Haryana's Palwal district.

The Union Minister told that he was informed by the BSF DG that "we have on 15 occasions shown white flags, but Pakistan is repeatedly indulging in firing". 

India is no longer considered a weak state the perception that had been built up during the rule of the UPA government has changed after the formation of the Modi government. "We are not weak, we are fully capable of giving a befitting reply to Pakistan if they continue to violate ceasefire," he said.

Looking at the crowd Rajnath said seeing the number of people that have gathered “I am confident that people of the state will vote for BJP.” Rajnath said BJP wants to assure people of nation that politics will not be done of caste and religion, but justice and humanity.

He also took on the Congress, which is ruling in the state, on the issue of Leader of Opposition (LoP) status and reiterated that the status will only be granted as per the rules and regulations.

Congress' demand for the LoP status was earlier rejected by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan who cited rulings and precedents from 1980 and 1984, when the party was in power and there was no official LoP.

Assembly elections are due in Haryana in October and the BJP has been targetting Bhupinder Singh Hooda government and the main opposition INLD over alleged scams, and appealed to people to give a clear mandate to the party in the upcoming Assembly elections.