Prime Minister Narendra Modi handled the conflict between India and Pakistan “extremely well”, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said on Tuesday, praising him for Operation Sindoor and for sending a clear message to the neighbouring country through his first public address on the strikes a day earlier.
“It is certainly always needed (PM address). It is the duty of our Prime Minister to speak to his people from time to time. He does his monthly broadcast, Mann Ki Baat, which is not urgent and critical stuff. It’s more selective in general,” Mr Tharoor told NDTV.
“I think coming on television, looking the nation square in the eye and talking about big issues on top of their minds is always important, whether it was Covid or whether it is war. We needed him to do that. So I am glad he did it,” he added.
On Monday, PM Modi addressed the nation for the first time since the conflict with the neighbouring country erupted last week. He said operations against Pakistan have only been kept in abeyance and the future will depend on their behaviour.
Lauding Operation Sindoor, which was launched in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, the Congress said: “I have no doubts that a meticulously planned operation like this came out of a sophisticated military headquarters. It’s not some random, crazy doing something.”
“The overall crisis was handled extremely well. I have gone on record saying that Operation Sindoor, from the naming to the presentation to the conduct, everything I give full marks to,” Mr Tharoor said.
He also said that Pakistan should now realise that “we are not anymore prepared to take all this (terror attacks)”. “The more you do, the more consequences you are going to face. I think all that messaging was very clear, and the Pakistanis have got that message,” he said.
Operation Sindoor was launched on the intervening night of May 7 and 8 escalated bilateral tensions, since it led to strikes and counter-strikes between the two nations. On Saturday, India and Pakistan reached an agreement to stop all firing and military action on land, air and sea, with effect from 5pm. Pakistan, however, violated the agreement within hours of it coming into effect.
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