PM Modi's speech in 5 points: From countering Trump's claims, rectifying Nehru's ‘blunders' to swipe at Opposition

Mint

4 days ago

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his reply to hours of debate on Operation Sindoor in the Lok Sabha, spoke about India's military action against Pakistan and took swipes at the Opposition. PM Modi also pushed back against US President Donald Trump's repeated claims of mediating a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, stating that he had told US Vice President JD Vance on the night of May 9 that Pakistan would face serious consequences for any attack on India. PM also said that India destroyed about 1,000 Pakistani missiles and drones mid-air during Operation Sindoor. Here are top five things the prime minister said in his address:
In his address to the Lok Sabha, PM Modi asserted that no world leader told India to stop Operation Sindoor. The prime minister said while US Vice President JD Vance had called him a few times, he couldn't take any calls as he was busy in the meetings.
'The Vice President told me that Pakistan is going to launch a big attack. I told him if this is Pakistan's intention, then this will cost it dearly. We will respond with a bigger attack. We will fire cannonballs against their bullets.'
'No world leader asked India to stop its military operation,' he said.
Speaking of India's military action on Pakistan, PM Modi said the Indian DGMO informed his Pakistani counterpart after India hit the terror infrastructure. When Pakistan retaliated, the 'Indian armed forces taught it a lesson it will not forget for years.'
The prime minister said Pakistan was brought to its knees following Indian strikes in its different corners. The prime minister cited comments of some Pakistanis, which appeared on social media, to stress on their shock at the Indian attack.
Their DGMO called up the Indian DGMO saying, 'Bas karo, bahut mara... stop the attack.'
They could not bear it any more, he said.
PM Modi also said that the Indian defence system destroyed 1,000 drones and missiles launched by Pakistan mid-air.
The prime minister also said that the Central government put the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance after the Pahalgam terror attack, thus rectifying a "big blunder" committed by the country's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.
Amid protests from Congress members, PM Modi said, 'It has been an old habit of the Congress to mortgage India's interests. The biggest example of this is the Indus Waters Treaty. Who signed this treaty? Nehru did it and granted rights to 80 per cent of the waters of the rivers originating in India and flowing to Pakistan.'
He said India gets its identity from the Indus river, but Nehru and the Congress allowed the World Bank to decide on the sharing of the waters of the Indus and the Jhelum. 'Nehru signed this treaty that granted rights to 80 per cent water to Pakistan and 20 per cent to a big country like India. What kind of diplomacy is this?' Modi asked.
'India has firmly conveyed its stance that blood and water cannot flow together,' he said.
PM Narendra Modi also took a jibe at Congress for not keeping Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari's names in the list of participants in the Operation Sindoor debate.
Though the prime minister did not name anyone, he was apparently referring to two Congress MPs Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari who did not speak during the debate on Operation Sindoor.
'Those who consider themselves big leaders of Congress are feeling pain as to why India's stand was presented before the world. Perhaps some leaders have been barred even from speaking in Parliament. There is a need to get rid of this mindset.'
Taking a jibe at at the Opposition, PM Modi accused it of finding new 'excuses' to oppose army operations, including the Operation Sindoor.
"Terrorists are crying, their masterminds are crying and seeing them cry, some people are crying here too. They tried to play a game during the surgical strike; it didn't work. During the airstrike, they tried playing another game. That didn't work either. When Operation Sindoor took place, they adopted a new tactic--"Why did you stop?"...Waah re bayan bahaduron! You need one or the other excuse to oppose. So, not just me but the entire country is laughing at you," the Prime Minister said.