PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday asserted that the country’s enemies have learnt what happens when ‘sindoor’ becomes gunpowder, and lauded India’s armed forces for creating such a trap that Pakistan was forced to go down on its knees. In his first public address in Rajasthan after Operation Sindoor that was launched in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, the Prime Minister slammed Pakistan, and said in response to the attack on April 22, “we destroyed nine biggest terror hideouts in 22 minutes”.

 

“The world and the enemies of the country have seen what happens when ‘sindoor’ turns into ‘barood’ (gunpowder),” he said at the public meeting in Palana in Bikaner, which shares border with Pakistan. “Ab toh Modi ki naso mein lahu nahi garam sindoor beh raha hai (Not blood but sindoor runs in Modi’s veins),” he said, adding, Pakistan will have to pay a heavy price for every terrorist attack. He said India’s response to the terror attack was not a game of vengeance but a “new form of justice” and there will be no trade or talk with Pakistan, there will be talk only about Pakistanoccupied Kashmir. In a stern message to Pakistan, he said India is not going to be scared by nuclear threats and if there is a terrorist attack on the country then it will give a befitting reply. “If there is a terrorist attack on India, it will get a befitting reply. The time and methods will also be decided by our army and the conditions will also be ours. India is not going to be scared by the threat of atom bomb.

 

Thirdly, we will not see the perpetrators of terror and the government patronising the terrorists separately.We will consider them as one,” he said, adding these are three “sutras” from Operation Sindoor. He said the game of Pakistan of state and non-state actors will not work anymore. Lauding the armed forces for carryingoutOperationSindoor, he said “Our government gave free hand to all three armed forces. Together they created such a trap that Pakistan was forcedtogodownonits knees”. Noting that Pakistan had tried to target the Nal air base in Bikaner but could not cause any damage to it, he said in contrast “No one knows when Pakistan’s Rahimyar Khan air base will open again.It is in ICU. The attack has destroyed it”. “Pakistan can never win a direct fight against India. Wheneverthereisadirectfight, Pakistanhastofacedefeatagain andagain.

 

ThatiswhyPakistan has made terrorism a weapon to fight against India,” he said. Modirecalled his public rally in Rajasthan’s Churu after the 2019 Balakot airstrike, and said he had then stated that, “Saugandh mujhe is mitti ki, mein desh nahi jhukne dunga, mein desh nahi mitne dunga (he had taken a vow that he would not let the country down)”. “Today, from the land of Rajasthan, I want to say to the countrymen that those who had set out to erase sindoor have been wiped out. Those who shed the blood of Hindustan have paid for every drop of it. Those who were proudoftheirweaponsarenow buried under a pile ofrubble,” he said. “This is not a game of vengeance, but this is a new formofjustice,thisisOperation Sindoor.

 

This is not just anger, this is thefierce form ofacapable India. This is the new form of India,” he said. Referring to the 2016 surgical strikes and the Balakote air strike, Modi said earlier India carried out attacks by entering into their houses but now the attack was directly on their chest. He said Pakistan used to spreadterror,killinnocentpeople and create an atmosphere offearinIndia.“Now,Modi,the servantof‘MaaBharti’,isstanding here with his head held high.Modi’smindremainscool but his blood is hot,” he said. “AndifPakistancontinues to export terrorists, it will have to beg for every penny. Pakistan willnotgetIndia’srightfulshare ofwater.Playingwiththeblood of Indians will cost Pakistan dearly. This is India’s resolve and no power in the world can shake us from this resolve,” he said. ThePrimeMinisterobserved that security and prosperity both are necessary forthe creation of a developed India