New Delhi, Jul 23 (PTI) BJP lawmaker Aparajita Sarangi on Wednesday hailed India’s Operation Sindoor carried out to avenge the Pahalgam terror strike, and said such a retaliatory military action should have happened after the Mumbai attacks in 2008.
Sarangi, the Lok Sabha MP from Bhubaneswar, was part of one of the seven multi-party delegations which recently travelled to 33 world capitals in a diplomatic outreach to the international community to convey India’s response to terror emanating from Pakistan.
The seminar, “Decoding Operation Sindoor: New Normal, New Doctrine,” was hosted by think-tank Centre for Global India Insights (CGII), and it was held to mark three months since the dastardly Pahalgam attack on April 22 claimed 26 lives, mostly tourists.
Sarangi’s party colleague and Rajya Sabha MP, Brij Lal, and Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, who were also part of separate multi-party delegations, also addressed the gathering and shared their experiences of being part of India’s diplomatic outreach that began in the later part of May.
Under Operation Sindoor, India had decimated nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir (PoK) on May 7 in pre-dawn precision strikes. Following it, India and Pakistan were locked in a four-day military conflict, which ended with an understanding between them on May 10 evening.
“What happened on May 7 by the name of Operation Sindoor, under the guidance and as per the directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the senior leaders, should have happened post the Mumbai attacks in 2008,” Sarangi said.
She also cited the 2016 Uri surgical strike and the 2019 Balakot air strike.
“Unfortunately, we never had this kind of strike, the kind of strikes that were carried out from May 7-10,” she said.
The opposition has been demanding discussion on Operation Sindoor and the Pahalgam attack in Parliament.
The government on Monday agreed to a 16-hour discussion in the Lok Sabha on Operation Sindoor and Pahalgam terror attack, and it is likely to be taken up next week, despite the opposition insisting that it should start this week itself and Prime Minister Narendra Modi must reply.
BJP MP Lal, interacting with PTI on the sidelines of the event, said, “It will be a good discussion.” “They wanted, but we already moved a motion that we will discuss (it); 16 hours in Lok Sabha, perhaps 9-10 hours in Rajya Sabha. People should know, the country should know, there should not be any confusion,” he said.
Asked if any information is expected to come out on the operation during the discussion, Lal told PTI, “I don’t think so. Many things are already in media reports. Seven delegations had gone to 33 countries, and we have discussed it at length and in breadth. So, I don’t think there will be something new. But, definitely government will explain its policy, what is the new normal in detail.” Sarangi and Lal were part of a delegation led by JD(U) MP Sanjay Jha, which went on a five-nation visit to Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.
Lal in his address recalled India’s military action and said it was a “very successful operation”.
“Before Modi ji’s regime (before 2014), many terror activities happened, like the attack on our Parliament (in 2001), 26/11 attack in Mumbai that continued for three days. We should have attacked that time, but we lacked. That may be lacking in political will, but this time Modi ji had clearly said in Bihar that we will reduce you to dust, and he had also said, we will target your terror bases, and we did that,” he said.
During his interaction with PTI, Lal also said, when the delegation was in Japan and South Korea, “they were appreciating our (use of) technology, our precision attacks, which we did on their terror bases and later on their air bases… to that the operation was very successful”.
“And, this was necessary to build confidence in our people, as well as to give a message to Pakistan, and in general to the world that we will not tolerate terrorism. If they will do something in our country, we will retaliate and very ably. We don’t wan’t war, that message we also sent,” he added.
Chaturvedi was part of a delegation that travelled to six key European countries, and recalling her visit, she said, despite being from different parties, “we all were united in one voice abroad.” “We may be the voices of opposition in India, and I will hold my government to account when it (the opposition) gets the time in Rajya Sabha to speak about what went wrong in Pahalgam, and what we can do better. I will question my government… But, when I go out of the country, I speak for my nation and its interests,” she said.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) MP said she comes from Mumbai, the city that saw the worst terror attack in 2008, which was watched by the world in shock.
“I was not a politician then…the 26/11 moved me and proved a catalyst to join politics and do something to help make my country more secure. Pahalgam attack also deeply moved me and reminded me of… why I had joined politics,” she said.
“It made me believe that this was my national call and my duty to my country, as a member of the opposition to go and tell the world that we have suffered long enough,” Chaturvedi said, adding in this period “we have seen terrorism coming across the border, but we have also safeguarded our interests. We have learnt the hard way, we are tackling it the right way.” PTI KND KND AMJ AMJ
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.