New Delhi: The armed forces’ Operation Sindoor drew adulation from Opposition leaders across party lines as they sent out a message of unity and expressed resolve to stand with the government on national security.
The Congress, Left parties, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Trinamool Congress, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) hailed the action in unison while asserting their wholehearted support to any step to cull terror.
The Left, while pointing out the importance of maintaining the country’s unity and integrity, called for stemming further escalation of the tension between the two neighbours and suggested pursuing diplomatic avenues for peace in the region.
India’s armed forces destroyed nine terrorist infrastructures, including those of Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba, in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in a 25-minute-long missile and drone strike early Wednesday.
The strikes, which India has described as “measured, non-escalatory, proportionate, and responsible”, came in retaliation for the dastardly April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
At an urgently-convened meeting of the Congress Working Committee to discuss the strikes, top leaders said they extend all support to the armed forces and the government in preserving the safety, unity and integrity of the country.
The highest decision-making body of the Congress also chose to halt all scheduled party programmes in solidarity with the armed forces.
“We are proud of the Indian armed forces who have given a befitting reply by taking a bold and decisive action against the terror camps of Pakistan and PoK under ‘Operation Sindoor’.
“We salute the courage, determination and patriotism of our brave soldiers,” Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said after the meeting as he stressed the need for unity at all levels to protect India’s integrity.
While promising to “put all our strength behind our soldiers to protect the country” the leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha stressed that everyone was united in this matter.
Rahul Gandhi expressed support and best wishes for the armed forces. “Complete support from the Congress party and the Congress Working Committee,” he said.
Party leader Jairam Ramesh saluted the military for the targeted operation and said that national unity and solidarity were of utmost importance at this critical juncture.
“Our leaders have always placed national interest above all and shown the country the path of unity and resolve,” he said in a post on X.
Veteran leader and NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar said no country could remain a mute spectator in the aftermath of a terror attack, and now a message has gone out to the world that “India is aggressive”.
In a social media post, Pawar said he spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh over the operation and assured his party’s full support to the government in these testing times.
“While responding to these terrorist attacks, it was necessary to take steps cautiously. All these strikes have taken place on the terrorist camps in POK that are supported by Pakistan,” Pawar, a former defence minister, told reporters in Pune.
“After these air strikes, a message has been sent in the world that India is aggressive,” he said.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has had several confrontations with the Modi government, sent out a message of unity in the war against terror. “We all should together fight the battle against terrorism, and there should not be any differences among us,” she said.
DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin welcomed the action. “With our Army, for our nation. Tamil Nadu stands resolute.”
AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal echoed similar sentiments and declared on X that “140 crore Indians stand with the Indian Army in this fight against terrorism”.
Punjab Chief Minister and AAP leader Bhagwant Mann sent out a similar message on the platform as did Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal.
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav issued a video statement to say that India and its Army have never tolerated any form of terrorism or separatist movement in the country, nor will they ever do so.
“The Indian Army has always protected the wombs of mothers and the vermilion (Sindoor) on their foreheads,” he said.
“We believe in truth, non-violence, and peace. Those who foster terrorism. If they strike at our unity, integrity, and sovereignty, we know how to unite and deliver a befitting response,” he said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut accused PM Modi and the BJP, accusing them of politicising the 2019 Pulwama terror attack and warned against doing the same over the Pahagam massacre.
“The entire credit (of avenging the Pahalgam terror attack) goes to the Indian Army. If any party or any government tries to take political credit for it, then you are doing injustice to the dead,” he said.
The party’s president, Uddhav Thackeray, said the armed forces’ action against terror hideouts was a “proud moment”.
“The Indian armed forces are capable of dealing with all kinds of situations, and Operation Sindoor has demonstrated that. Salute to the valour of the Indian armed forces.”
The Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party also praised the military for ‘Operation Sindoor’.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah saluted the armed forces for the precision strikes and said that terror has “no place in our land, and India will respond with strength and unity”.
“Their (armed forces’) heroic action reaffirms that India will never tolerate terror in any form,” he said on ‘X’.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) pointed out the armed forces’ assertion that the retaliatory strikes were focused, measured and non-escalatory to call on the government to ensure that the unity and integrity of the country are protected.
“In the all-party meeting convened by the Union Government, all political parties had extended support to the measures taken by it against the terrorists and their handlers.”
The Communist Party of India (CPI) said, “We reiterate the importance of pursuing diplomatic avenues to prevent further escalation and preserve peace in our region and also to arrive at political solutions.”
PTI