Bhagalpur (Bihar) [India], May 10 : RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Friday voiced support for the Indian armed forces and the central government amid rising tensions with Pakistan and said that the Army has repeatedly taught Pakistan a lesson and will soon "neutralise" it again.
The RJD leader affirmed the opposition's solidarity and called for the complete eradication of terrorism and separatism from the country.
Speaking to reporters in Bhagalpur, Tejashwi Yadav reaffirmed his party's faith in the Indian Army's capabilities and cited past victories as evidence of its strength.
Referring to the recent all-party meeting convened by the Centre, the RJD leader said that all opposition parties had expressed their support for the government's stance on national security.
"We have full faith in the Indian Army, it has taught a lesson to Pakistan multiple times and divided it into two parts (Bangladesh and Pakistan). The Indian Government called an all-party meeting, and in that too, the opposition expressed solidarity. We think that soon the armed forces will neutralise Pakistan," said Yadav.
"We stand with whatever decision the army and government take. We want terrorism and separatism is uprooted from the country. We will support whatever they do for this," he added.
This comes as political parties across the spectrum continue to present a united front in support of the armed forces, amid ongoing India-Pakistan tensions following recent incidents at the border.
Earlier in the day, the Congress party held a 'Jai Hind Yatra' in all Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) units on Friday to express solidarity with the armed forces amid escalating tensions with Pakistan in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor.
Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal reiterated the party's support for the armed forces and said, "Solidarity with the armed forces, the whole nation is with them. We are saluting their services."
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting at his residence amid the rising tension between India and Pakistan.Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi, and Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi were among those present in the meeting.
Earlier in the day, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh conducted a review of the current security situation. The review was held a day after Pakistan sought to target Indian cities and civilian infrastructure, in addition to some military targets.The Indian Defence Forces effectively repelled the attacks. The country's top security brass attended the meeting, and Defence Secretary RK Singh was also present.Pakistani drones were sighted in Jammu, Samba, and Pathankot sectors on Friday, according to defence sources.
Red streaks could be seen, and explosions were heard in the Samba sector of Jammu as India's air defence intercepted Pakistani drones amid a blackout.
A precautionary blackout has been enforced in multiple areas amid the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. A complete blackout has been enforced in the Akhnoor and Udhampur regions of Jammu and Kashmir and in the Ambala and Panchkula areas of Haryana.
The blackout are also enforced in Firozpur of Punjab and Jaisalmer of Rajasthan. Pakistan has violated the ceasfire for yet another day. On Thursday, the Pakistani army carried out multiple airspace violations and drone intrusions on the night of May 7 and 8, targeting Indian military infrastructure.
Pakistan's attempted retaliation came in the wake of India's Operation Sindoor, where the Indian armed forces targeted nine terror infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on Wednesday.The operation was a direct response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.