New self-confidence in India post Sindoor: PM Modi before Parliament debate
Pahalgam terror attack
and
Operation Sindoor
, PM
Narendra Modi
on Sunday reasserted that the precision strikes on terror dens in Pakistan was India's message that there are no safe havens for terrorists and their masters.
India places the highest priority on its national security and the operation has created a new awakening and a new self-confidence across the country, Modi said at an event in Tamil Nadu's Gangaikonda Cholapuram to honour Chola emperor Rajendra Chola.
The world witnessed India's firm and decisive response to the threat against its sovereignty during Operation Sindoor and it has sent a clear message, there is no safe haven for terrorists and enemies of the nation, he said, setting the tone for the govt's response for the debate in Parliament, starting in Lok Sabha on Monday.
Oppn plans to point to big terror attacks under 'PM Modi's watch'
The upcoming discussion in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on the attack and the operation comes as a significant opportunity for the govt to reaffirm its strong stance on national security and counter-terrorism.
The debate - after a first week of disruption of Parliament's Monsoon session - is likely to be a fiery one between the ruling alliance and the opposition as they prepare to lock horns over the issues steeped in national security and foreign policy imperatives.
The two sides have consented to a marathon 16-hour debate in each House, which invariably stretches longer in practice. Union defence minister Rajnath Singh is likely to initiate the debate immediately after the question hour in Lok Sabha.
Sources said home minister Amit Shah, defence minister Rajnath Singh, and external affairs minister S Jaishankar will be speaking on the issues amid indications that the PM may make an intervention to convey his govt's "robust" stand against
terrorism
.
Leaders of opposition in LS and RS - Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge - may lead the charge against the govt along with Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav, besides a host of others.
Congress
, however, plans to attack the govt and particularly PM Modi on what BJP has claimed to be their calling card over a decade, and have used incessantly to target Congress over national security.
More than Operation Sindoor, the opposition would be looking to hammer home that the country has been extremely unsafe from cross border threats, pointing to repeated big terror attacks under Modi's watch, from Uri to Pahalgam.
This will also put Shah in the oppositions crosshairs.
It is here that the opposition plans to undercut Modi's claim on national security. As has been seen since the terror attack, Congress and opposition have been pointing to the fact that the terrorists singled out the tourists by religion to execute them - a point that the opposition would have been reluctant to touch in the past for fear of polarisation.
Congress ahead of the debate raised the issue of US President Donald Trump's claims of halting Operation Sindoor. Party leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday said since May 10, Trump has claimed "26 times" that he stopped the operation by "threatening to cut off trade with India, and claimed that five fighter jets may have been shot down".
Ramesh on X said "even though Congress had been demanding a special two-day session of Parliament immediately after Operation Sindoor was abruptly halted that demand was ignored. "Nevertheless, better late than never," he said.
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