New Delhi, May 7 -- Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai, who triggered a controversy after displaying a toy Rafale aircraft decorated with lemons and chillies - and questioned when the Centre would crack down on terrorists - on Wednesday hailed the Indian Army for carrying out strikes at nine locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the early hours of the day.

Speaking to news agency ANI, Rai said: "I congratulate the Army. We always take pride in our Army... The entire country wanted those lemon chillies to be removed from the Rafale... I think wherever terrorism is flourishing, we need to eliminate it entirely."Read | Codename 'Operation Sindoor': What's India's symbolic message behind its night strike on Pakistan t...