New Delhi, Jul 30 (PTI) Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha J P Nadda on Wednesday alleged that the previous Congress-led governments lacked the political will to act against Pakistan despite Islamabad’s continued support for terrorism, and accused the Opposition party of “appeasement” towards the neighbouring country.
Speaking in the Upper House during the ‘Special Discussion on India’s Strong, Successful and Decisive Operation Sindoor in Response to the Terrorist Attack in Pahalgam’, Nadda said those questioning the government on its response post Pahalgam must introspect on what they did after terror attacks when they were in government.
Comparing the responses of the two sets of governments, the Congress-led regime between 2004-14 and the BJP-led governments between 2014-25 to terror attacks orchestrated by Pakistan during the two periods, the BJP leader said, “The army was the same but there was no political will (under the Congress regime)”.
Asserting that the government condemns the Pahalgam terror attack “in one voice”, Nadda said, “The Home Minister of our sensitive government was in Kashmir at 5 pm on the day of the attack while the Prime Minister cut short his Saudi Arabia visit”.
He further said the political leadership is extremely important as it gives directions to the armed forces.
Nadda said there is a difference between a responsible, sensitive, proactive government and a government which responds according to the need of the hour, and an inactive, lukewarm attitude, non reactive, non responsive government.
“We will do injustice with this narrative if we look at the Pahalgam terror attack in isolation,” Nadda said.
Detailing the response of the Congress-led UPA government during 2004-14 to terror attacks carried out at the time, Nadda said that “no action was taken” after Delhi, Varanasi, Mumbai bomb blasts where hundreds were killed and scores injured, which shows the insensitivity of then governments.
Trade, tourism and talks with Pakistan continued despite the terrorist attacks, Nadda said. “You kept appeasing and never pressured Pakistan despite terrorism,” he said.
Moreover, India and Pakistan agreed on Kashmir-specific confidence-building measures, Nadda said, asserting that “We kept engaging in confidence-building measures, while they kept shooting at us, we kept serving them Biryani”.
The forces were the same, the army was the same, the police were the same but there was no political will, he said, referring to the UPA regime.
Nadda cited the surgical strike after the Uri terrorist attack as evidence of the NDA government’s approach towards dealing with terrorism and Pakistan, stating that it is an example of a changing India under Modi’s leadership with transparency and conviction.
Citing Modi’s statement that Pakistan has committed a blunder and they will have to pay the price, Nadda said that political will is required to deal with terrorism.
He also refuted allegations that Modi had gone to Bihar for electioneering days after the Pahalgam attack, saying the prime minister had gone to attend Panchayati Raj Day, and he went to celebrate the day with the elected members of panchayats.
Attacking the previous Congress-led government, Nadda said it linked the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks to RSS and went after “Hindutva terrorism”..
“Other than Kashmir, terror attacks across the country have stopped. Except J&K, no incident of terrorism has taken place from 2014 to 2025 till date,” said Nadda..
He informed that civilian deaths (due to terror incidents) between 2004-14 stood at 1,770 whereas between 2014-25 were 357, a 70 per cent reduction.
The deaths of security forces personnel during 2004-14 stood at 1,060 as against 542 between 2014-25, a 49 per cent reduction. Meanwhile, the deaths of terrorists increased by 123 per cent.
For the first time after 1947, a Prime Minister came on record and said perpetrators of the Uri terror attack will not be spared, thereafter surgical strikes were carried out and terror launch pads destroyed, the Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha said.
“You keep saying the PM should speak, when the PM speaks, he replies to the world, not just India,” said Nadda, urging the Opposition to look at the government’s political will in dealing with Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.
He said there is a narrative being peddled that no country supported India after the Pahalgam terror attack, informing the Upper House that there are 61 messages of Heads of States of different governments, their Presidents and Vice Presidents, condemning it.
In an apparent reference to the Congress, Nadda further said people claiming we surrendered and questioning us are the creators of Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir, who gifted land to Burma and accepted China’s annexation of Tibet, to which Congress leader Jairam Ramesh raised an objection and asked Nadda to authenticate his claims.
He further said stone pelting incidents in Kashmir have come down to zero, and the valley which used to be shut for 132 days in a year, is now open throughout.
Asserting that the Pahalgam attack on 22 April was avenged in 22 minutes through the surgical strikes, Nadda said, “No previous government gave the kind of befitting reply to Pakistan which PM Narendra Modi gave”, with the destruction of 11 air bases across the neighbouring country during the military conflict ‘Operation Sindoor’. PTI RSN RKL MR
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