Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday issued a strong rebuttal to claims surrounding Operation Sindoor, asserting that no global leader asked India to halt the military action. He also sharply criticized the Congress party, alleging it had begun acting like a mouthpiece for Pakistan.
In a speech in Lok Sabha that lasted close to two hours, PM Modi addressed both historical and contemporary criticisms, highlighting what he called the Congress’s repeated strategic failures and its current lack of support for national security efforts.
Countering Donald Trump’s Ceasefire Claims
Refuting former U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated assertions, made 29 times, that he brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, the Prime Minister stated unequivocally that no such communication occurred during Operation Sindoor.
“On May 9, US Vice-President JD Vance tried to speak to me 3-4 times for over an hour, but I was in a meeting. I called him back—he said Pakistan will do a very big attack. I replied to him—if Pakistan has this intention, toh usse bahut mehnga padega (it will cost them dearly). I told Vance that we will do a bigger attack than Pakistan… that hum goli ka jawab gole se denge (we will respond to bullets with shells),” Modi said. He reiterated that Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar had earlier informed Parliament that Trump and Modi did not speak during the operation.
Congress Accused of Parroting Pakistan’s Line
The Prime Minister claimed that the Congress party was mirroring Pakistan’s rhetoric and appeared to be under “remote control” from across the border.
“Compare Pakistan statements and those of the opposition—they are the same with full stops and commas. They speak the same language as Pakistan. The country is shocked that Congress has given a clean chit to Pakistan. They want evidence that Pahalgam attackers are Pakistanis. This is the same demand that Pakistan is making,” Modi said.
He criticized Congress for distrusting national institutions despite having governed India for decades. “The Congress now works on Pakistan’s remote control. A new Congress MP said Operation Sindoor was a tamasha. It was a sin to say so,” he added.
Without directly naming them, the PM referred to leaders like Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari, alleging that Congress prevented them from speaking in Parliament despite being part of a multi-party delegation.
He further noted: “We got the world’s support but it is unfortunate that Congress did not support us. They asked where is 56-inch chest, said Modi fail ho gaya—maza le rahe the, laga baazi maar li (they said Modi failed, they were having fun—thinking they won the narrative battle).”
Operation Mahadev & Terror Response
PM Modi confirmed that Indian forces had neutralized the terrorists responsible for the Pahalgam attack on Monday. However, he slammed the Congress for raising doubts about the timing of the encounter.
“But here it was asked by the opposition—why did it happen yesterday only? What has happened to these people (Congress)? It is disappointment at its highest level. Earlier, they asked where are Pahalgam attackers? Now we killed them and say why yesterday,” he said. “Terrorists and their masters are crying, and looking at them, some people (opposition) are also crying here.”
He recalled how the Congress had earlier demanded proof of the 2016 surgical strikes and the 2019 Balakot airstrikes. “In the Balakot air strikes, they asked for pictures. Pakistan also asked the same,” he said.
Referring to past incidents, the PM mentioned: “When pilot Abhinandan was caught, Pakistan was happy. But here too, some people were whispering that now Modi is in a fix. We got Abhinandan back. After Pahalgam, one BSF jawan was captured. They again thought Modi would be in a fix. The BSF jawan also came back.”
He added that Congress never fully acknowledged the Kargil victory or celebrated Kargil Vijay Diwas and claimed that during the Doklam standoff, Congress appeared to side with Pakistan.
Teaching Pakistan a Lesson
PM Modi declared that Operation Sindoor had reset the terms of engagement with Pakistan. “India can do anything in the future if the need arises again. Operation Sindoor is still on. If Pakistan does anything, it will get a karara jawab (befitting reply),” he said.
He claimed that on May 9, India’s air defence systems intercepted over 1,000 missiles and drones launched by Pakistan. Pakistan, according to the PM, falsely claimed an attack on Adampur Air Base, prompting Modi to visit the base to debunk the misinformation.
“Indian missiles rained fire across Pakistan, which they had never imagined, and we forced Pakistan to come to its knees,” he said. “Bahut mara, bas karo (You have hurt us a lot, it’s enough), Pakistan pleaded to us in the DGMO call. We had said agar kuch karoge toh mehnga padega (if you try something, it will cost you dearly).”
He outlined three new principles of India’s counter-terror doctrine:
Respond at a time and place of India’s choosing
Reject nuclear blackmail
Treat terror groups and their state sponsors the same way
He added: “Synergy between our forces shocked Pakistan. The new situation is that terror masterminds are not able to sleep. They know Bharat will come and maar ke jayega (kill them). This is a new normal that we have set.”
Congress’s ‘Historic Mistakes’ Highlighted
PM Modi also used the opportunity to criticize Congress’s legacy, especially in handling Jammu and Kashmir and foreign policy with Pakistan.
“Whenever I speak of Nehru, Congress gets flustered. Lamhon ne khata ki, sadiyon ne saza payi. We are suffering to date that punishment,” he said.
Modi criticized the handling of PoK, claiming Congress must explain who allowed its occupation. He accused Nehru of calling Aksai Chin a wasteland, which led to the loss of 38,000 square kilometers.
He called the Indus Waters Treaty a major strategic blunder and said Nehru’s decision to go to the World Bank on the issue was a betrayal. “Nehru agreed to give 80% water to Pakistan. The Indus Waters Treaty was a big betrayal. Indus water belongs to Indians, its farmers. Nehru offered a huge amount of money to Pakistan to make canals,” he said.
The PM claimed that even basic maintenance of Indian canals required Pakistan’s consent due to treaty provisions. He asserted that the Congress never rectified this agreement, but his government had taken corrective action.
In his Lok Sabha speech, PM Modi combined political criticism, military assertions, and historical reflection to position his government as decisive on national security. By drawing a sharp contrast with Congress, both in current actions and past decisions, he sought to reinforce a narrative of strength, self-reliance, and unflinching response to terror in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor.
