(HT)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said nine terrorist hideouts were destroyed in just 22 minutes in India’s airstrikes during Operation Sindoor against Pakistan, calling it a decisive action. Speaking at a rally in Gandhinagar, he stressed that the entire action was recorded on camera to silence any calls for proof.
“This is a land of the brave. Until now, what we used to call a proxy war, after the scenes witnessed post-May 6, we can no longer make the mistake of calling it a proxy war. The reason is that when nine terrorist hideouts were identified and destroyed within just 22 minutes, it was a decisive action. And this time, everything was done in front of the cameras, so that no one back home would ask for proof,” PM Narendra Modi said at a rally in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar.
Modi said the term “proxy war” no longer applies, as terrorists killed after May 6 were buried with full state honours in Pakistan, draped in national flags and saluted by the Pakistani army. This, he said, clearly shows that terrorism is not just a shadow war but part of a deliberate and organised military strategy.
“I say this can no longer be called a proxy war because the terrorists whose funerals were held after May 6 were given state honours in Pakistan. Pakistan’s flags were placed on their coffins, and their army saluted them. It proves that terrorist activities are not a proxy war but a well-planned war strategy. You are already at war, and you will receive the response accordingly. We do not seek enmity with anyone. We want to live peacefully. We also want to progress so that we can contribute to the welfare of the world,” Modi said.
Before addressing the rally, Modi held a mega roadshow in Gandhinagar on Tuesday morning, with crowds gathered to greet him.
This was the prime minister’s fourth roadshow during his two-day visit to Gujarat. It is his first visit to his home state since Operation Sindoor, India’s military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
The roadshow started at the Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar and will end at Mahatma Mandir. People gathered in large numbers, waving the tricolour along the route.
Modi held roadshows in Vadodara, Bhuj and Ahmedabad on Monday.
