Government targeted and efficaciously hit terror infrastructure in Pak: Manish Tewari

India Today

Congress leader Manish Tewari called for Prime Minister Modi to address US President Trump's statements on the India-Pakistan situation and supported the government's actions against Pakistani terror infrastructure.

Transcript

00:00During Operation Sindhoor, we saw a rare consensus between the government and the opposition.

00:05Now that the operation is on pause or seems to be coming to an end,

00:08we seem to be seeing that consensus breaking down,

00:11particularly over the comments of the US President Donald Trump.

00:14The Congress wants Prime Minister to break his silence on Trump's comments,

00:18on ceasefire, on trade, on Kashmir.

00:21What is the Congress Party's stand then?

00:24Well, Rajdi, first of all, thank you very much for having me on your show.

00:30Unfortunately, the United States of America has a rather unusual president.

00:38And so therefore, you have a gentleman who believes that back-channeling is actually front-channeling.

00:47And so therefore, you've had a series of statements which have come out from him,

00:52starting with the social media post on 10th of May,

00:56which was then followed up by an official press release by the Department of State

01:02from the Secretary of State, Barker Rubio.

01:06And then during Mr. Trump's continuing tour of the Middle East, which is ending today,

01:14there have been a series of statements.

01:17So therefore, under those circumstances, it becomes difficult to discern

01:22as to what really is the import of those statements.

01:28Because if you analyze them one by one, you know, there seems to be variance,

01:36at times contradiction in those statements.

01:38But having said that, it's very well documented in strategic literature that whenever there is a crisis

01:49or there's a flashpoint between two nations, other people do get involved in crisis management

01:57and crisis mitigation.

01:59No, no, but you haven't answered my core question.

02:03Why is the Congress at the moment so anxious that Prime Minister Narendra Modi break his silence

02:07and in a way take on Donald Trump?

02:09It's almost as if the opposition at the moment wants to shoot off Donald Trump's shoulders.

02:15Well, that's an absolutely erroneous read, Rajdi, for a better word.

02:20After all, the President of the United States of America is the President of the United States of America.

02:25And therefore, if there are certain statements emanating from him,

02:30even if there may be some inherent contradictions,

02:35obviously, what really is the reality is something which the government of India needs to articulate.

02:44For example, as I was earlier pointing out,

02:47had it stopped with President Trump's social media post of 10th of May 2025,

02:54as was the case on the 28th of February 2019,

02:59while addressing a presser in Hanoi.

03:02He said that both the nations would pull back.

03:06Things would have ended, as I was earlier pointing out,

03:10that the United States has an unusual president.

03:13But what was extremely unusual in this case

03:17was the follow-up statement by the Department of State,

03:23which is the Foreign Ministry of the United States of America,

03:27which carried a very, very,

03:30a very, if for the lack of a better word,

03:35a very pointed headline,

03:38saying U.S. brokered truce.

03:40So, therefore, under those circumstances,

03:45obviously, a rebuttal and putting the record straight

03:50should come from the political leadership.

03:54You know, let us raise the other big question, Manish Tiwari,

03:58that the opposition, particularly the Congress, is raising.

04:01Your party wants a special session of Parliament

04:03over what's happened over the last few weeks,

04:05Operation Sindur, Pehal Gaam.

04:07All allies are not on board.

04:09Some, like NCP, are saying there is no need

04:11for a special session.

04:12Why is the Congress Party insisting at this moment

04:14for a special session of Parliament?

04:17Well, Rajdeep, for the simple reason,

04:20whenever we've been confronted

04:21with a grave national security situation,

04:25Parliament, as the highest representative body

04:29of the Indian people,

04:31has discussed in detail

04:34and sent out a message

04:37of national solidarity and unity.

04:40It happened when the Chinese aggression

04:43had taken place in 1962.

04:46I remember, if I recall correctly,

04:49from the 7th of November 1962

04:52till the 16th of November 1962,

04:55both houses of Parliament,

04:57Lok Sabha and Ratsaba,

04:59had a complete discussion,

05:01even while the border war

05:03was playing itself out.

05:06Even during 26-11,

05:08if you would recall,

05:10since I had done the first presser

05:13on behalf of the Indian National Congress

05:15on the 28th of November in the evening,

05:18and the first congressperson

05:20who ever did a show

05:22was with you that night,

05:24Parliament was on.

05:25And during that Parliament session,

05:29senior ministers from the government,

05:31including the then External Affairs Minister,

05:34Mr. Pranam Mukherjee,

05:35the Prime Minister himself,

05:37and other senior ministers,

05:38had explained the chronology of events

05:41and the government's response.

05:43So therefore,

05:44it is not as if a Parliament session

05:47is going to degenerate into a,

05:49he said, she said,

05:50after all, this is the same Parliament

05:52which in 1994 had passed

05:55a unanimous resolution

05:56that the only unfinished business

05:58of partition

05:59is the reclaim of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

06:02That resolution was again

06:04retreated unanimously

06:06by the Indian Parliament in 2012.

06:09So therefore,

06:10to extrapolate and begin

06:12on the presumption

06:13that a Parliament session

06:15is going to be a,

06:16he said, she said,

06:17I think is a completely erroneous premise.

06:20You know, Manish Tiwari,

06:22you have given us a bit of a lesson

06:24in military history,

06:25but let me ask you,

06:26as I conclude,

06:27Operation Sindur itself,

06:28I had your colleague Shashi Tharoor

06:30on the show two days ago.

06:31He congratulated the Modi government,

06:33believed that the government

06:34had ensured that we hit

06:35the Pakistanis hard and smart,

06:38and he felt that it was

06:38the right thing to do.

06:40Do you also believe

06:41that the government

06:41has taken the right stand

06:43on Pakistan?

06:44In the UPA years,

06:45you were accused

06:46of strategic restraint,

06:47not doing enough.

06:48Now the government

06:49effectively saying

06:50we hit them where it hurts.

06:55Well, first of all, Rajdeep,

06:57every government

06:58takes national security decisions

07:01based upon the imperatives

07:03and the best information

07:05which is there before it.

07:09So therefore,

07:10you know,

07:10to compare two

07:11national security situations,

07:13I don't think

07:14is the correct way

07:15of approaching

07:16any national security issue.

07:18having said that,

07:20in my estimation,

07:21the government

07:21did the appropriate thing

07:23that they targeted

07:26and efficaciously hit

07:29the terror infrastructure

07:31in Pakistan.

07:33It was an attempt

07:35once again

07:36to establish

07:37strategic deterrence.

07:39and I do hope

07:40this strategic deterrence

07:42sends a salutary message

07:43to Pakistan

07:44that the use

07:46of semi-state actors

07:47in order to

07:49perpetrate terror

07:51or to use terror

07:52as an instrument

07:53of state policy

07:54is something

07:55which the

07:56government of India,

07:58the people of India,

07:59and by people,

08:00I mean

08:01the entire

08:02opposition in India

08:03is not going

08:04to tolerate

08:05at all

08:06under any circumstances.

08:08So yes,

08:09the punitive strikes

08:10were necessary.

08:12It was an imperative

08:13and I do hope

08:14it sends that

08:15salutary message

08:16and establishes

08:18the conventional

08:19deterrence

08:20that we hope

08:21to establish

08:21in order to

08:23ensure

08:24that Pakistan

08:26refrains

08:27from using

08:28these semi-state

08:28actors.

08:29Are you therefore,

08:30Manish Tiwari,

08:31going to give a word

08:32of praise at the end

08:33to Prime Minister Modi

08:33for sending out

08:34that firm message

08:35to Pakistan?

08:38Well,

08:39I think

08:39as I earlier said,

08:42every government

08:43acts in the best

08:45interest of the nation

08:46based upon

08:47the inputs

08:48that are available

08:49with it

08:50and the decisions

08:51it takes.

08:52So therefore,

08:53I have always

08:54been of the view

08:56that National

08:57Security Situations

08:58should not be

08:59looked through

09:00a partisan lens

09:01and whatever

09:02is in India's

09:04interest,

09:05whatever serves

09:06India's strategic

09:07objectives,

09:08if they are furthered,

09:09you know,

09:09that's something

09:10which should be

09:10appreciated.

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