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BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi on Wednesday praised India's military retaliation under Operation Sindoor following the Pahalgam terror attack, stating that such a strong response should have taken place in the aftermath of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
Sarangi, Lok Sabha member from Bhubaneswar, was part of one of the seven multi-party teams that recently visited 33 world capitals to communicate India’s position on terrorism emanating from Pakistan.
Speaking at a seminar titled Decoding Operation Sindoor: New Normal, New Doctrine, hosted by think tank Centre for Global India Insights (CGII), Sarangi said, "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." She also referred to past retaliatory strikes, including the 2016 Uri surgical strike and the 2019 Balakot air strike, but added, "Unfortunately, we never had this kind of strike, the kind of strikes that were carried out from May 7-10."
Operation Sindoor was carried out in response to the Pahalgam terror incident on April 22, which claimed 26 lives, mostly tourists. On May 7, Indian forces targeted and destroyed nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir during pre-dawn strikes. The escalation led to a four-day military confrontation, which concluded with a mutual understanding on May 10 evening.
BJP Rajya Sabha MP Brij Lal and Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, who were also part of different diplomatic delegations, addressed the gathering, recounting their experiences from the outreach that began in late May.
The opposition has been pressing for a discussion in Parliament on both Operation Sindoor and the Pahalgam attack. The government has agreed to a 16-hour debate in the Lok Sabha, likely to take place next week, despite opposition demands for an earlier session and a response from the Prime Minister.
"It will be a good discussion," Lal told PTI on the sidelines. "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."
Asked whether any new information on the operation would be shared, Lal said, "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 the delegation led by JD(U) MP Sanjay Jha that visited Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. Recalling the military operation, Lal said, "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 further noted that during visits to Japan and South Korea, the delegations were commended for India’s technological capabilities and precision in targeting terror and air bases. "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 want war, that message we also sent," he added.
Chaturvedi, who visited six European countries as part of another delegation, said despite political differences at home, "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, as reported by PTI.
Referring to her roots in Mumbai, she said the 26/11 attacks had a personal impact. "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."
"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, "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."
(With PTI inputs)
