Who Stopped the Indian Army from Responding to the Mumbai Attacks? PM Modi Questions UPA’s Decision
In a sharp political attack on the previous UPA government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday questioned who stopped the Indian Army from carrying out a retaliatory strike after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
Speaking at a public gathering following the inauguration of the first phase of Navi Mumbai International Airport, the Prime Minister accused the then-central government of weakening India’s fight against terrorism, forcing the country to “pay a heavy price.”
“The Army Was Ready, the Nation Was Angry — Yet No Response”
Addressing a massive crowd in Navi Mumbai, Modi said that Mumbai, being India’s financial capital and a vibrant global city, has always been a high-value target for terrorists.
The 2008 attacks, he said, were a calculated attempt to strike at the heart of India’s economy and morale.
“The security forces were fully prepared to respond,” the Prime Minister stated. “The mood of the country was to strike back at the neighboring nation responsible for the attacks.
But the question remains — who stopped our armed forces from responding? Why was India’s military strength restrained when the entire nation demanded justice?”
Modi referred to a recent remark made by a senior Congress leader and former Home Minister, widely believed to be P. Chidambaram, who admitted that after the Mumbai attacks, he had favored military action against Pakistan.
However, the UPA government, led by the Congress Party, had instead decided to follow a diplomatic route on the advice of the Ministry of External Affairs, citing pressure from global powers, including the United States, which wanted to avoid an India-Pakistan war.
“The Congress party must explain this to the people of India,” Modi said. “Who was truly making the decisions then — our elected government, or the foreign powers that sought to influence our national security response?”
“For Us, National Security Comes First”
Drawing a contrast with his government’s stance, Prime Minister Modi referred to ‘Operation Sindoor’, a military campaign launched after the Pahalgam terror attack, emphasizing that India’s security and the safety of its citizens remain his administration’s highest priority.
“For us, nothing is above the security of our nation and our citizens,” he said firmly. “We have shown through our actions that India will not tolerate terrorism in any form — and will not hesitate to respond with strength when attacked.”
India’s First Digital Airport and Metro Milestones
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi inaugurated India’s first fully digital airport — the Navi Mumbai International Airport, built at an estimated cost of ₹19,650 crore.
The mega greenfield project is the largest of its kind in the country and represents a significant step toward India’s modern infrastructure goals.
Before addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister inspected the facilities at the airport and interacted with officials overseeing the project.
He also inaugurated the final phase of Mumbai Metro Line-3, the city’s first underground metro corridor, marking a milestone in Mumbai’s public transport revolution.
Digital India on the Rise: One Lakh 4G Towers Activated
At a separate event in New Delhi, during the India Mobile Congress, Prime Minister Modi launched India’s indigenously developed 4G mobile network stack, calling it a landmark achievement in the nation’s digital transformation.
He revealed that on the day of the 4G Stack launch, one lakh (100,000) 4G towers were simultaneously activated across the country, instantly bringing digital connectivity to over 20 million people, including those in remote rural regions.
“Wherever the world faces challenges, India is now capable of offering solutions,” Modi said. “In sectors like semiconductors, where global dependency used to rest with a few nations, India has taken decisive steps to emerge as a strong alternative.”
The Prime Minister outlined the government’s ambitious ‘Bharat 6G Vision’, setting a target to achieve indigenous 6G technology within the next five years.
A Broader Message
Through his dual addresses in Mumbai and Delhi, Prime Minister Modi sought to portray a powerful narrative — contrasting his government’s assertive national security posture and technological self-reliance with what he described as the hesitation and weakness of past administrations.
His remarks rekindled a politically charged debate over how India should respond to terrorism — through diplomacy or decisive force — a question that continues to define the country’s strategic and political discourse.
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