Not blood, sindoor boils in my veins… : PM Modi
Bikaner :
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that India responded decisively to the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam with a swift military operation named Operation Sindoor, targeting multiple locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Speaking at a public rally in Bikaner, Rajasthan, Mr. Modi said, “In response to the April 22 attack, we destroyed the nine biggest hideouts of the terrorists in 22 minutes.” He added that around 100 militants affiliated with groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen were neutralised during the operation, according to government sources.
“The enemies of the world and the country have seen what happens when vermilion turns into gunpowder,” the Prime Minister remarked, describing the military response as swift and targeted. Referring to the emotional sentiment evoked by the attack, he said, “Not blood, sindoor boils in my veins.”
The Pahalgam attack on April 22 claimed the lives of 26 security personnel. The Indian response, carried out on May 7, was described as a “retaliatory military offensive” aimed at dismantling terrorist infrastructure across the border.
Mr. Modi said that India stood united against terrorism and asserted that the government had given the military a free hand in conducting the operation. “The gunshots in Pahalgam hit 140 crore Indians. We struck at the heart of terror,” he said.
The Prime Minister also drew a parallel with the Balakot airstrikes of 2019, noting that his first public meeting after that operation was also held in Rajasthan. “It is a coincidence that after Operation Sindoor, once again I have come among you here on the border of Veerbhoomi, Rajasthan,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Modi inaugurated the redeveloped Deshnoke railway station under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme and flagged off the Bikaner–Mumbai express train. He also visited the Karni Mata Temple and interacted with school students during the event.
