Former Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari, a stalwart of Congress, has made a sensational charge that his party, under the UPA government, should’ve taken kinetic action following the 26/11 attack in Mumbai.
In his latest book, “10 Flashpoints: 20 years”, Tewari has written on page 304 that restraint is not a sign of strength and that India should’ve taken kinetic action following the 26/11 attack in Mumbai.
“For a state (Pakistan) that has no compunctions in brutally slaughtering hundreds of innocent people, restraint is not a sign of strength; it is perceived as a symbol of weakness. There comes a time when actions must speak louder than words. 26/11 was one such time when it should have been done. It, therefore, is my considered opinion that India should have actioned a kinetic response in the days following India’s 9/11”, opined Tewari.
It led to a bitter attack from his colleague Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury who said Tewari should be focussing more on China that has captured many areas in Ladakh and built villages in Arunachal Pradesh.
“He is regaining consciousness now. Why has he not talked about it that time,” asked Adhir.
These explosive words from a Congress leader comes day after another senior leader, Salman Khurshid, in his book “Sunrise over Ayodhya: Nationhood in our times” linked Hindutva to radical jihadist groups such as ISIS and Bok Haram.
Reacting to Tewari’s words in his book, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman was quoted on Republic that the UPA government did not respond to terrorism the way NDA did.
“26/11 was under whose power? Who was in power at that time? Decisions of this nature during PM Modi’s time is done with clear-headed leadership. Taking forces in confidence be it Pulwama or Sunjwan. Gave forces fullest right. How India responded in those times was missing during UPA.”
