Maha leaders back PM Modi's criticism of 26/11 attack response; Congress hits back

Mumbai, Oct 9 (IANS) Leaders of Maharashtra's Mahayuti on Thursday backed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks that criticised the Congress for not responding militarily to the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks amid alleged foreign pressure, saying the nation's posture has fundamentally changed under the BJP-led government since 2014.

PM Modi, speaking at a public rally in Mumbai on Wednesday, said India was prepared to retaliate after the 26/11 attacks but was restrained by the then UPA government under pressure from a foreign power.

He referred to a recent interview given by senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram, who served as Union Home Minister during the UPA era, saying that the leader had revealed the Armed Forces were ready to strike Pakistan after 26/11 but were held back by external influence.

"The entire nation wanted a strong response. Our forces were ready. But the Congress government stopped them. Who exerted that foreign pressure? Who in Congress made that decision? The people of India deserve to know," the Prime Minister declared, accusing the previous government of compromising national sentiment and emboldening terrorists through indecision.

"This weakness cost us dearly. It strengthened the hands of terrorists and repeatedly endangered innocent lives," he had said.

Maharashtra Minister Ashish Jaiswal endorsed the Prime Minister's assertion, saying that earlier responses to terror incidents amounted largely to condemnation rather than decisive action.

"Earlier, whenever terrorists or Pakistani elements attacked our forces, whether it was the 26/11 attack, the March 12 incident, the Ghatkopar blast, the Gateway of India blast, or the serial train blasts, we only condemned them and never responded effectively. Until we set this narrative of giving a strong response rather than just condemning, the enemy will keep attacking us. You can see that since the government came to power in 2014, there haven't been similar bombing incidents," he told the reporters.

Jaiswal added that since 2014, when Pakistan attempted hostile acts, the Modi government and the Armed Forces have provided a "befitting response".

Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora also supported PM Modi's remarks and told IANS that past governments were marked by confusion in dealing with various violent elements.

"I will only say this: in the past, there used to be confusion when dealing with anti-social elements -- whether they were terrorist outfits, home-grown terrorist groups, foreign terrorist organisations, or Left-Wing Extremist outfits. There was confusion within the government. Today, that confusion no longer exists. The Prime Minister's vision is very clear: to ensure national security, any person, individual, or outfit that tries to destabilise India and indulges in violence will be dealt with firmly," he said.

Deora argued the country is safer now. "Whether it is Mumbai or any corner of India, we are safer from terrorism. The entire credit goes to Prime Minister Modi. Under his leadership, our anti-terrorism capabilities have been greatly enhanced. The biggest difference between the previous government and the Modi government is the political will," he added.

Congress, however, dismissed the Prime Minister's remarks and said that if the BJP-led government had not "bowed down" to the US after Operation Sindoor, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) should have been reclaimed.

Speaking to IANS, Udit Raj asked, "Under whose pressure did the Modi government stop the attack on Pakistan?"

Referring to the Operation Sindoor, Raj said, "He (PM Modi) was saying that Pakistan was on the verge of destruction. If that was the case, then PoK should have been taken. Trump gave a 24-hour ultimatum, and he surrendered within six hours. This is Prime Minister Modi. In February 2025, he happily went to meet Trump in the US, but Trump called him a thief there... He couldn't say anything. Trump said 40-50 times that he brokered the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, but did the Prime Minister deny it even once?"

--IANS

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