Leaking national secret to journalist is a criminal act: Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi. Pic/AFP

Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that leaking sensitive information related to the national secret of a planned attack to a journalist is a "criminal act" and persons behind this should be put in prison.

To a question about the alleged chats discussing the Balakot air strike after the February 14, 2019 Pulwama terror strike on CRPF convoy, Rahul Gandhi said, "Leaking of any sensitive information is a criminal act. This applies to the person who sends it and the person who receives it."

He said that such a sensitive issue was a subject of national secret regarding a planned air strike which is only either with the Prime Minister, Union Home Minister, Union Defence Minister, Indian Air Force Chief and the National Security Advisor.

"I want to know who among the Prime Minister, Home Minister, Defence Minister or NSA leaked secret information to the journalist. This is a criminal act. If the journalist had such information on his WhatsApp, I assume the Pakistanis too had it," he said.

He also said that by leaking such information to a journalist risked the IAF fighter jets and pilots and this was not an act of "patriotism".

He also said for leaking such a classified information, the process of putting the people in prison should start.

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