Pakistan's sleep is still disturbed; the scale of destruction was immense: PM Modi on Op Sindoor
He said this during his address from the ramparts of the Red Fort on Friday, adding that India will no longer tolerate nuclear blackmail and if the enemy dares to commit any more misadventure, the Indian Armed Forces will give them a befitting reply.
'India will no longer tolerate nuclear blackmail. If the enemy dares to commit any more misadventure, the Indian Armed Forces will give them a befitting reply. India has decided that blood and water will not flow together,' he said.
He said that this August 15 has a special significance. 'Today, I got the opportunity to salute the brave soldiers of Operation Sindoor from the ramparts of the Red Fort. Our brave, valiant soldiers have given the enemies a punishment beyond their imagination.'
PM Modi said that the Armed Forces were given a free hand, and they produced remarkable results.
'We gave our Armed Forces a free hand, allowing them to strategise, set the target, and decide the timing. Our forces set a precedent unseen for many decades. They attacked hundreds of kilometres into enemy territory and turned terrorist headquarters to dust," he said.
'Pakistan's sleep is still disturbed. The devastation in Pakistan has been so massive that new revelations are emerging every day, and new information is coming to light,' he said.
'I am proud that today, I got the opportunity to salute the brave soldiers of Operation Sindoor from the Red Fort. Our brave soldiers gave the enemies a fitting reply, beyond their imagination. Every Indian was angered by the horrors perpetrated by terrorists in Pahalgam. Operation Sindoor is the expression of that very anger,' the PM said.
PM Modi said that India has been bearing the pain of terrorism for many decades. 'We have now set a new normal. Terrorists and those who shelter them will not be seen separately. They are an equal danger to humanity with no difference,' the PM said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hoisted the national flag and addressed the nation from the ramparts of the iconic Red Fort in the national capital. He said this great festival of freedom is a festival of 140 crore resolutions.
'This festival of freedom is a moment of pride in collective achievements. Every heart is filled with enthusiasm. The nation is continuously strengthening the spirit of unity, he said in his much-awaited address.
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The Wire
30 minutes ago
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Modi's I-Day Speech Shows It Is No Longer Ideas or Hope but Hate That Excites His Supporters
But the PM's words do not merely evoke disquiet – they are actually dangerous, and their consequences are borne by Muslims and Christians. Listening to Narendra Modi's speeches is nothing less than a trial. And an ordeal. How can anyone endure nearly two hours of such tedium, a speech full of falsehood, empty boasts, puffed-up bravado that – most pernicious of all – is saturated with the poison of hatred? But why are these speeches delivered with such audacity, repeated for 11 years? If they continue, and the speaker thinks that there are people ready to receive them, the responsibility lies not only with the speaker but even more so with those who keep listening to such demagoguery. For, in truth, it is we who have allowed this. We have sustained – and re-elected, not once but twice, this man as our prime minister for over a decade. We have done so fully aware that his only mastery lies in one trade: the trade of hate. Perhaps we tolerate Modi's bluster, his swagger, his lies, because behind all of it lies a single undiluted truth that we love and want: this hatred. In the official press release that followed his speech, the Prime Minister's Office spoke of fortifying our defences with an expanded security envelope, of fostering strategic sectors, of repeating the mantra of an 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' in technology and industry. Youth and entrepreneurs were urged to embrace swadeshi. All this is stale stuff. Those fortunate enough to secure employment in the private sector were promised Rs 15,000 – a sum intended to absolve the government of its fundamental responsibility to provide work. It is now for you to secure work, and if you are lucky enough, then the government rewards you with a paltry sum of Rs 15,000. But the central point of the speech was Operation Sindoor and a demographic task force. Operation Sindoor was presented as a watershed moment in the history of independent India, a new normal in the war against terrorism. Or against Pakistan. And yet, we know that respected security experts have called it a costly and pointless folly. India failed to mobilise support for this foolhardiness even after spreading scores of MPs across the world. It left India looking pitiable. Defence experts warned that calling this 'new normal' a doctrine was not bold – it was dangerous. What he is promising to his constituents is a continuous war. Only that will keep them enthralled. A social activist and blood campaigner makes a portrait of Prime Minister Narendra Modi using blood at a demonstration organised to celebrate 'Operation Sindoor', in Bhopal, Saturday, May 10, 2025. Photo: PTI. 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History is witness to this – and yet, how rare it is for us to learn from distant countries. We believe that by understanding the price the German people paid for choosing Hitler, we will save ourselves – a naivety. When, after 1945, Germany emerged from Hitler's terror and declared 'never again', it was not just a declaration for themselves – the world needed to hear it. India, in arrogance, believed that we too were immune to the charms of demagogues like Hitler. But there was an organisation – the RSS – that claimed inspiration from Hitler and Mussolini. And among its members is one Modi. In 2025, the RSS completes a century of existence. It has been complicit in inciting violence against Muslims – before and after independence. The organisation keeps no records of its members, so it can always distance itself from their actions – yet everyone knows its role. Former members have testified how the RSS has plotted violence. 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Modi spoke about 'infiltrators' in fierce terms in his speech, saying: 'Under a deliberate conspiracy, the country's demography is being changed … infiltrators are stealing the livelihoods of our youth … targeting our daughters and sisters … deceiving innocent Adivasis and seizing their land … this will not be tolerated … when demographic shifts occur near our borders, they become a threat to national security, sow social discord … no country can hand itself over to infiltrators … that is why I announce from the Red Fort: we have decided to launch a high‑power demography mission … this mission will address the grave crisis.' This is not the first time. Since 2013, the fear of infiltrators has been planted in the Hindu psyche. In the Jharkhand elections, he talked again of outsiders eyeing Adivasi land and women. In Bihar, voter roll purges in the name of a special intensive revision (SIR) justified as removing infiltrators was deemed necessary. 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Today, every Bengali-speaking Muslim is branded an infiltrator. They are pushed across borders, detained and their homes demolished. The prime minister's words could fuel this violence – they do not merely evoke disquiet, as an editorial suggested – they are actually dangerous. The consequences are real, and they fall upon Muslims and Christians. In his speech, the PM pledged to save the nation's 'daughters' from infiltrators – a spectacle of 'love jihad' dressed in a new uniform. But it is also jaded. Many noted that fatigue had set into Modi – there was repetition, hollow rhetoric. But has anyone ever tired of hatred? One person might turn away, but for many, hatred remains fresh, alluring. That is why even though people leave the RSS, its ideology of hate and division continues to draw new followers. Hate existed within Hindu society before, but in 2014, we liberated ourselves of our inhibitions when Modi was accepted as prime minister. India began walking – no, sinking – into the mire of hate and violence. Better to say: it stepped into that morass. But perhaps even that is incorrect. Muslims, Christians, Sikhs – they refused to go to that morass. Yet, the power of the Hindu majority dragged them in. They are bearing the consequences of the decision of the majority of Hindus. They are paying the cost of majoritarian decisions. On Independence Day, the chief propagandist of this hate played his tried-and-tested record. When we hear it, do we feel disgust? Or do we wonder if there is still some authentic hate we are craving for – something more visceral, more real? Apoorvanand teaches Hindi at Delhi University. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments. Advertisement
Mint
30 minutes ago
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