In a powerful address from West Bengal’s Alipurduar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared on Thursday that Operation Sindoor — India’s military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack — is “not over yet”, and reaffirmed that any future attack on India will invite a heavy cost.
“We are the people who worship Shakti, Mahishasuramardini. From this land of Bengal, this is a declaration of 140 crore Indians that Operation Sindoor is not over yet,” said PM Modi, invoking Bengal’s cultural symbolism to reinforce India’s military resolve.
Referring to India’s May 7 precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), the Prime Minister said the world has now seen India’s new doctrine: “If there is a terrorist attack on India, the enemy will have to pay a huge price.”
“Pakistan should understand that we have entered their house and killed three times,” he warned, referencing previous cross-border operations by India.
PM Modi’s remarks come in the wake of Operation Sindoor, which resulted in the elimination of over 100 terrorists linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen — all considered Pakistan-based terror outfits.
Speaking on the cultural and emotional significance of the operation’s name, the Prime Minister said:
“On April 22, the brutal terrorist attack in Pahalgam shook the nation. The terrorists dared to wipe off the sindoor from the foreheads of our sisters. But our brave soldiers made them realise the power of that sindoor.”
The Prime Minister also launched a stinging critique of Pakistan’s long-standing role in sponsoring terrorism, tracing its history from Partition in 1947 to the 1971 Bangladesh War, accusing the Pakistan Army of committing rapes and genocide in what was then East Pakistan.
“Since its very inception, Pakistan has been a breeding ground for terror and violence,” he said.
“Terrorism and genocide are the biggest expertise of the Pakistani Army. When direct war is fought, their defeat is certain, so they rely on terrorists.”
In the latter half of his speech, PM Modi turned his attention to domestic politics, accusing the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government of perpetuating a “politics of violence, appeasement, riots and corruption.” He outlined five crises gripping West Bengal:
- Violence and anarchy in society
- Insecurity for women
- Unemployment and despair among youth
- Erosion of public trust in governance
- Corruption and denial of poor’s rights by the ruling party
Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for a City Gas Distribution project in Alipurduar and Cooch Behar, aimed at bolstering clean energy infrastructure in the state.