Surgical Strikes Showcased India's Counter-Terror Policy: PM Modi
PM Modi said the 2016 surgical strikes were a bold example of India's zero-tolerance counter-terrorism policy, and touched on the Census and anti-drug efforts.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday described the 2016 surgical strikes as a decisive answer to the suffering caused by terrorist attacks, saying they offered the world a bold demonstration of India's approach to counter-terrorism.
In his monthly radio broadcast, Mann Ki Baat, the Prime Minister said the country has adopted a policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism and has conveyed clearly that such acts will draw a strong and firm response.
Recalling the events of September 28-29, 2016, he said the Indian Army carried out surgical strikes on terror hideouts across the Line of Control after a terrorist attack on an Army camp at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir. The manner in which Indian soldiers crossed the LoC and acted against terrorism left the world stunned, he said.
"India has made it clear that terrorism will be met with a strong and decisive response. The surgical strike presented a bold new example of India's counter-terrorism policy right in front of the entire world," he said.
The Prime Minister said India had borne the pain of terrorist attacks for a long time, and the surgical strikes were the country's decisive reply to that agony.
Turning to the ongoing Census exercise, he described it as a national responsibility in which every citizen has a role, and urged people to make use of the online enumeration facility.
On the fight against narcotics, he said the country's youth are uniting against drugs through the Nasha Mukt Yuva Abhiyan, spreading awareness via creative campaigns and activities. He noted that millions of young people have taken a pledge against addiction and drugs, committing themselves to staying away from them and to carrying the message to others.
During the address, the Prime Minister also paid tributes to late VHP leader Ashok Singhal on his birth anniversary, saying he lived like an ascetic while remaining part of society. The direction Singhal gave to the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and the energy he infused into it, Modi said, are reflected today in the grand temple taking shape in Ayodhya.