No world leader told India to stop Op Sindoor: PM hits out at Cong

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday disputed US President Donald Trump’s claims of mediation in ceasing the May hostilities with Pakistan and said no world leader had told India to pause Operation Sindoor.

In a blistering attack on the principal opposition party, Modi said the Congress was peddling Pakistan’s propaganda on the events of May 10, the day India halted its military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.

This, he said, was done after successfully meeting the mission objectives of destroying Pakistani terror hubs that had nursed, trained and funded the perpetrators who killed 26 civilians in Pahalgam. The PM also reiterated the national position that Operation Sindoor was underway and if Pakistan attempted another misadventure, India would respond in its own way, at its own time, not succumb before nuclear bluff and will not distinguish between terrorists and their patrons any longer.

Concluding a 16-hour debate on Operation Sindoor in the Lok Sabha today, the PM mentioned a May 9 conversation with US Vice-President JD Vance who, he said, warned him of an impending Pakistan’s attack. “I told Vance if Pakistan hits India, India will hit back harder and that we will respond to bullets with cannons,” Modi said, asking why the Congress, despite years of rule, refused to believe the Indian Defence Minister, External Affairs Minister on the truth of Operation Sindoor and instead “spoke the language of Pakistan”.

“While India is becoming self-reliant, the Congress is increasingly relying on Pakistan for issues. The Congress and associates have become Pakistan’s spokespersons.... Earlier, the Congress demanded a proof for surgical strikes, Balakot air strikes. Today it is asking why Operation Sindoor was stopped. ‘Wah re bayaan baazon’. You (Congress) need an excuse to oppose. When our soldiers were fighting in Doklam, everyone saw from whom Congress leaders (read Rahul Gandhi) were taking secret briefings. Cull out statements of Pakistan and of those opposing us. These will be ditto, right to the commas and the fullstops. The Congress has joined the Pakistan chorus...Unfortunately while we received global support in our fight against Pakistan-sponsored terror, we did not receive the Congress support for the bravery of armed forces,” said the PM, using the occasion to question the Congress’ past record on critical issues around national security.

From late PM Jawaharlal Nehru’s move of signing the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in 1960, his declaration of a unilateral ceasefire leading to the creation of the PoK in 1948, the Congress’ inability to win back the PoK despite the strategic advantage in 1971 and its decision to return Haji Pir which armed forces had won, PM Modi listed a host of historical events to accuse the Congress of bartering national interests.

“You could not even take back Kartarpur Sahib in exchange for 93,000 Pakistani prisoners of war you had in 1971,” said the PM, questioning the principal opposition outfit for resuming talks and continuing with the most favoured nation status to Pakistan despite undisputed evidence of its direct role in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

“We have stopped this one-way traffic of terrorism and ‘aman ki asha’. We cancelled Pakistan’s MFN status, visas and closed the Attari-Wagah border while the Congress has an old habit of bartering national interests,” said the PM.

He dwelt in detail on Nehru agreeing to give Pakistan 80 per cent share in the waters of the western rivers which originated in India and also agreeing to Pakistan’s condition that India won’t desilt dams on its side. “The IWT was a betrayal of Indian sovereignty...Had this treaty not happened, we would have launched major projects on western rivers. Our states would not be reeling under a water crisis and inter-state conflicts. Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi’s farmers would have had adequate waters. But clearly there was no place for farmers in Nehru’s diplomacy nor did Congress governments ever correct this historical wrong. We have now corrected it by placing the IWT in abeyance,” said Modi, adding that the treaty would no longer exist in the current form.

On Pakistan-sponsored terror too, Modi took on the Congress for alleged soft-pedalling. He took a veiled jibe at Sonia Gandhi and said a Congress leader cried when terrorists were killed in the Batla House encounter.

“People are asking if the BJP-led NDA could rein in terrorism. What was the Congress compulsion to let terrorism flourish. The reason behind the perpetration of terrorism during the Congress rule was vote bank politics and appeasement,” the PM said amid frequent opposition disruptions.