NDA bungles Pak boat incident

Modi led NDA has launched a major exercise both to open peace talks with Pakistan and also fund the Defense sector to meet future challenges. But its attempt to plug a raging controversy video of a Pakistani fishing boat in flames on New Year's Eve has again misfired.

The video had not established what caused the explosion. Seen as a PR exercise by the defense ministry and ahead of China visit of Indian delegation to sooth nerves of the Pak friendly country, the revelation came after a off the cuff remark of a senior naval official as to how they had blown off the Pak terrorist boat.

The incident happened on December 31, 2014, and the government had claimed it had foiled another 26/11-type attack. But several news reports emerged later that questioned the official claim and hinted it could have been a case of smuggling. "I hope you remember the 31st December night. We blew off the Pakistan... we blew them off," bravado talk of BK Loshali, Deputy Inspector General with the Coast Guard, in a video clipping had hit a Mumbai based newspaper.

The comments kicked up a huge controversy as it contradicted the government's version. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had insisted it was a Pak-sponsored terror operation and that the boat was blown up by its own crew. But the government was left red-faced when videos emerged of a Coast Guard DIG claiming he had given the orders to blow the boat up.

The officer later said that his remarks had been misconstrued and that he was not in a position to know what happened to the boat because he did not handle the operation. His written explanation to the Defence Ministry has been rejected as unsatisfactory, said sources.