"Is Baar Camera Ke Samne...": PM Takes A "Proof" Swipe At Balakot Skeptics

Taking a swipe at the Opposition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said armed forces recorded Operation Sindoor airstrikes in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir on camera, just in case anyone at home asked for "proof".

"We razed nine terror bases in 22 minutes. Aur is baar camera ke samne kiya, sari vyavastha rakhi thi, taki hamare ghar mein koi saboot an mange (We did everything on camera this time, we had made preparations, so that no one at home asks for proof)," the Prime Minister said during an event in Gujarat to mark the 20th anniversary of Gujarat's Urban Growth Story -- a development journey that started with Narendra Modi's Chief Ministership.

The Prime Minister's "proof" dig was targeted at Congress and other Opposition parties, leaders of which have in the past questioned the government's account after the 2016 surgical strikes and the 2019 Balakot airstrikes, carried out in retaliation for terror attacks in Uri and Pulwama, respectively. India, on May ,7 carried out targeted airstrikes in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir to avenge the Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 innocents dead. In the briefings following the airstrikes, Indian forces released footage and before-after images of its targets, leaving no room for speculation. 

Targeting Pakistan for its role in terror attacks on Indian soil, the Prime Minister said that irrespective of how strong the body is, a thorn can cause constant pain. "We have decided that the thorn must be removed," he said.

Referring to Partition, the Prime Minister said that when India became Independent in 1947, "chains must have been cut, but arms were severed" and the country was divided into three parts. "That night, the first terrorist attack happened on Kashmir soil and Pakistan captured a part of India with the might of terrorists. If that day, these mujahideens were killed... Sardar (Vallabhbhai) Patel did not want the Indian Army to stop till Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, but his words were not heeded," the Prime Minister said in a veiled attack on Jawaharlal Nehru, the country's first Prime Minister.

Terrorists, the Prime Minister said, "tasted blood" that night and a series of their attacks has continued for 75 years. "In Pahalgam too, a perverted form of this was seen. We kept tolerating for 75 years. And every time a war broke out, all three times, India's military might defeated Pakistan. Pakistan understood that it could not win a war with India, so it started a proxy war. Terrorists with military training are sent to India. Unarmed innocents, someone is travelling on a bus, someone is in a hotel, someone is a tourist, wherever they got an opportunity, they kept killing, and we kept tolerating. Should we tolerate anymore?" he said, as the audience screamed "no".

India, the Prime Minister said, follows the tradition of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam -- the world is one family. "We want our neighbours to live in peace and we want them to let us live in peace. But when we are repeatedly challenged, this is also a country of the brave."

The Prime Minister said Pakistan's activities against India can no longer be described as a proxy war. "The terrorists who were killed were given state honors in Pakistan. Pakistani flags were draped over their coffins, and their military saluted them. This proves that these terrorist activities are not just a proxy war. This is a deliberate war strategy on their part. If they are engaging in war, then the response will be befitting," he said.