Stay away from Indian Elections: Ram Madhav to Pakistan PM Imran Khan

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) general secretary Ram Madhav on Thursday said it would be ff Pakistan Prime Minister keeps way from the ongoing Lok Sabha elections in India. "It would be better if Imran Khan keeps off Indian elections," he said. He was backing Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's theory that Congress might be plotting with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to influence elections.

"People of India will decide who will be the prime minister of India. We are wise enough; we don't need advisers from across the border. When we (BJP) come back to power, we will see how to deal with our neighbours," news agency ANI quoted him as saying.

"It is the Opposition which is trying to gain political or electoral mileage by invoking the Balakot issue and raising doubts about our Army's actions. They are not questioning the government but the very credentials of the Army itself," he said.

Earlier, Nirmala Sitharaman had said that Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's statement endorsing another term for Narendra Modi as India’s PM could be a ploy by the Congress party to oust him from power. "Such statements come around elections in India and also there have been eminent Congress leaders who've gone there to seek help 'Modi hatane ke liye madad karo business'. I wonder if this is also part of scheme of things which have been put forth by the Congress' side," Sitharaman said.

The Opposition parties led by the Congress alleged a secret understanding between Modi and his Pakistani counterpart after the latter’s open endorsement for his victory in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

"Pak has officially allied with Modi! ‘A vote for Modi is a vote for Pakistan’, says Pak PM Imran Khan. Modiji, first affection with Nawaz Sharif and now Imran Khan has become your loving friend. He has called your bluff," the Congress had said.

Following Imran Khan’s statement, Opposition leaders also started questioning the timing of Pulwama terror attack and Balakot strike, with some alleging that the attack was planned by PM Modi to swing the voters in his favour. Several pre-poll surveys conducted after the Pulwama attack and Balakot strike showed BJP gained from these incidents. The saffron party, that fought the 2014 elections on the issue of development, planned its 2019 Lok Sabha elections campaign around nationalism.