New Delhi: In his eagerness to credit Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Operation Sindoor launched by Indian armed forces against Pakistan, a senior minister in Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Madhya Pradesh on May 16 courted controversy as he said that the nation’s army as well its soldiers were bowing to Modi’s feet in gratitude.MP deputy chief minister Jagdish Devda’s remarks came at a time when the saffron party, trying to politically own Operation Sindoor, has launched Bharat Shaurya Tiranga Yatras across the country. While BJP leaders are praising the Indian armed forces for the military action against Pakistan in response to the massacre of civilians in Pahalgam, they are also giving credit to Modi, in what appears to be a repeat of the BJP’s strategy following the Balakot Airstrikes in 2019.Speaking at an event in Jabalpur, Devda lauded Modi for his leadership as India responded to the Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir with airstrikes in Pakistan. “I would like to thank our glorious PM. The entire nation, the nation’s army and its soldiers are bowing down at his feet. No amount of praise is sufficient for the befitting reply given by him,” said Devda, as he urged the audience to clap for Modi.Devda’s remarks, which were criticised by the Congress party, came at a time when the saffron party was already facing heat after one of its ministers in MP Kunwar Vijay Shah referred to Colonel Sofiya Quresh as “sister of terrorists.”The Congress, in a post on X, said Devda’s statement was “cheap and shameful,” and asked him and the BJP to apologise. “This is an insult to the valour and courage of the army. When the whole country is bowing in front of the army today, BJP leaders are expressing their low thinking about our brave army,” said the Congress.Though not as unrestrained as Devda, several other senior BJP leaders have also linked Modi to the “success” of the Operation Sindoor. On May 14, while launching the Bharat Shaurya Tiranga Yatra in Lucknow, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath honoured the Indian armed forces and its “brave jawans” for their “valour and courage.” In the same breath, however, Adityanath also expressed gratitude to Modi for the “success of Operation Sindoor” on behalf of the entire state.Adityanath said that the yatras were a way to express respect towards the tricolour, give the “highest honour” to “our soldiers” and to “express gratitude” to Prime Minister Modi. He kept the nation united during the operation and even visited the Adampur air base to “encourage” the armed forces, Adityanath added.BJP UP president Bhupendra Chaudhary also praised the “freehand” given to the armed focus under Modi’s “leadership” to attack Pakistan and strike terror bases. “There used to be a time when terror incidents were common in the country. But in the name of action, we had to make do only with ‘strong condemnation’. But today under the leadership of PM Modi, no force in the world can muster the courage to stand against the might of India’s army. Our army, under the leadership of PM Modi, with this big military action has given a clear message to the world that now talks with Pakistan will only be on PoK (Pakistan occupied Kashmir) and terrorism,” said Chaudhary.The Adityanath government’s cabinet has also passed a special resolution thanking Modi, along with the armed forces, for Operation Sindoor. UP cabinet minister Suresh Khanna, who read out the resolution during a cabinet briefing, said it was a “motion of gratitude towards PM Modi and the excellent work carried out by the armed forces during the successful execution of Operation Sindoor.”Khanna praised Modi for providing the country leadership during Operation Sindoor. “The entire nation is united against terrorism. This operation was proof of our strength and solidarity and our collective resolve to protect the nation. But this could be possible only when our PM and the union cabinet gave a freehand to the army,” said Khanna.Addressing a Tiranga Yatra in Bhopal on Thursday, MP chief minister Mohan Yadav referred to Modi to send across the message how the PM’s name had tormented both the Pakistan army as well as the “terrorists.” “The terrorists had taken Modi’s name (during the Pahalgam attack). ‘Zara bata dena modi ko’ (Go, tell Modi about this). And all of us saw the flag of Pakistan wrapped around the coffin of terror. The Pak army and the terrorists were all doing ‘haye Modi, haye Modi’. That day we got 56-inch chests. It was a pleasure for us,” said Yadav.Referring to Operation Sindoor, Yadav said that this was the “new India under the leadership” of Modi, which enters the enemy’s territory and attacks “if the self-respect and identity of Mother India is threatened.”In Uttarakhand, ruled by the BJP, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami participated in a Tiranga yatra by holding up a photograph of PM Modi dressed in military gear. “The sea of patriotism that poured out on the streets of Dehradun is proof of the fact that when it comes to the motherland, every citizen of the military land of Uttarakhand stands united. Today, every citizen of the country is feeling proud of the strong leadership of the PM Narendra Modi and the bravery of our brave soldiers,” said Dhami.