New Delhi, Feb 26 (PTI) Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar Tuesday hailed the air strikes carried out by the Indian Air Force inside Pakistan, saying the entire nation stands firmly behind the armed forces.

“It was a necessary step required for the security of the country … it was an act of maha parakram (mightily act),” he said.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had already given a free hand to the forces to take necessary action against the backdrop of the Pulwama terror strike that left 40 CRPF personnel dead.

New Delhi, Feb (PTI) CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury Monday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for reportedly shooting “PR films”, saying such photo shoots only “rubbed salt into the wounds of those suffering”.

In an apparent reference to Modi allegedly shooting a “propaganda and publicity” film till the evening of February 14, the day of the Pulwama terror attacks, and photographs of him washing the feet of sanitation workers on Sunday, the Left leader said the PM should make his priorities clear. 

“105 deaths in sewers and septic tanks in 2018 & 11 in 2019 alone. Nothing done to redress the grave situation despite Court Orders. PR photoshoots with multiple cameras only rub salt into the wounds of those suffering historical injustices,” he said in a tweet. 

“It is just not Kashmir. The North-East is in immense turmoil. But Modi is busy shooting PR films in a Forest resort or mouthing inane film dialogues, irrespective of whether soldiers die or civilians. That makes clear what his real priorities are,” Yechury said. 

Modi Sunday took a holy dip at the Sangam in Allahabad and interacted with sanitation workers, who have ensured cleanliness during the ongoing Kumbh Mela, describing them as “real karma-yogis” whose contributions were being lauded all over.

He also performed the Ganga aarti and conducted Charan Vandana’ (washing the feet) of select sanitation workers, as a mark of respect to their efforts in ensuring a clean Kumbh.

New Delhi, Feb 26 (PTI) The Cabinet Committee on Security met here Tuesday morning at the residence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the Indian Air Force carried out air strikes in Pakistan.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman were present at the meeting.

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and other top officials of the prime minister’s office and the security apparatus were present at the meeting, official sources said.

India is believed to have carried out air strikes inside Pakistan early Tuesday and targeted terror camps, sources said.

The strikes involving several fighter jets of the Indian Air Force successfully destroyed camps belonging to Pakistan-based terror outfits in Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the sources said.

NEW DELHI: India’s defence ministry said on Tuesday that it had no information about Pakistani allegations that Indian aircraft violated Pakistani airspace.

Pakistan’s military said that Indian military aircraft crossed the Line of Control frontier in the disputed Kashmir region and “released a payload” after Pakistan scrambled its own jets, but there were no casualties or damage.

“I have no information,” an Indian defence spokesman said. ( (Reuters)