New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday launched a blistering attack on the Congress in the Rajya Sabha saying the party “gave away” parts of Kashmir to Pakistan when in power and asserted that the BJP government will bring back Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir.
He also claimed that a Hindu can never be a terrorist and hit out at the Congress for coining the phrase “Hindu terror” post-2008 Mumbai terror attack.
Shah also said the Congress has no right to question the BJP on terrorism, alleging that it indulged in appeasement politics and never adopted a firm policy to tackle the menace when in power.
Replying to the discussion on Operation Sindoor in the House, Shah accused the UPA of not taking appropriate action after terror attacks, while the Modi government took measures after every such incident.
He cited the Balakot incident and surgical strikes as well as Operation Sindoor and operation Mahadev as India’s befitting replies to Pakistan for promoting terrorism.
The Home Minister also attacked the Congress for questioning his government on foreign policy related to China, saying the opposition party’s love for China had continued for generations since 1960s.
“The priority of Congress is not the country’s security. Their objective is only vote bank and appeasement politics… Terrorism took roots, spread, and grew in India… the sole reason for this has been the Congress’ politics of appeasement and weak policies,” Shah said.
On the Opposition parties’ demand that the government should clarify on the role of US President Donald Trump in ceasefire between India and Pakistan, the Home Minister reiterated that the ‘Operation Sindoor’ was not stopped at anyone’s request.
“Pakistan was brought to its knees, their DGMO called and said enough is enough, please stop it now,” he said.
Shah also emphasised that the Congress has no right to ask about PoK.
“I want to tell the Congress that POK was given by you, and only the BJP government will bring it back,” he said.
In his more than an hour-long speech, the Home Minister gave a detailed account of Operation Sindoor and Operation Mahadev, which involved the killing of three terrorists responsible for carrying out the barbaric attack in Pahalgam on April 22.
Shah asserted that terrorism will end in Jammu and Kashmir, and listed out measures taken by the government for all-round development of the Union Territories.
“I want to say to the terrorists through this House… do as much as you want… Jammu and Kashmir will be free from terrorism. This is the resolve of Modi ji,” Shah said.
He said it happened for the first time that people were killed in the name of religion, and it is extremely painful.
The terrorists killed tourists to send a message that they would not let Kashmir be free from terrorism.
Earlier, when Shah began to speak, Opposition parties protested and demanded that the Prime Minister speak, but when the Chair refused to entertain their demand, they staged a walkout.
Continuing his tirade against the Congress, he said former Home Minister P Chidambaram had sought proof on whether the terrorists who carried out the Pahalgam attack were from Pakistan.
Shah stated that Chidambaram even challenged the justification of Operation Sindoor.
He said that Chidambaram exposed the mentality of Congress to the whole world that for vote bank they would support Pakistan, Lashkar-e-Taiba and terrorists.
He taunted Congress leader Prithviraj Chauhan who questioned the naming of the terrorist encounter as Operation Mahadev, which is not linked to any religion.
He claimed “Har Har Mahadev” was the war cry given by Shivaji Maharaj while fighting against the Mughals.
He cleared the doubts about the timing of their killings and said the CRPF, Army and J&K police, while staying in difficult terrain and having food sent from drones followed and killed them.
The Home Minister also highlighted the achievement of the government in the last 11 years.
He read out the Prime Minister’s speech delivered on April 24, 2025, and said that following the PM’s guidance, not only terrorists were eliminated but their launchpad was also destroyed.
He said the government decided to end the one-sided Indus Water Treaty as Indian farmers have their rights on the Indus water.
Shah stated that at least 100 people were killed and the headquarters of terror outfits such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Hizbul Mujahideen were destroyed by the Modi government.
“I proudly declare to the world… Hindus can never be terrorists,” he said, questioning the Congress for filing false cases against many “patriotic religious institutions”.
“The Congress never took any concrete steps for the preparation of the Indian Army. During the war with China, we didn’t even have proper clothes to wear in the cold… there was neither salt nor matchsticks, and we had a severe shortage of guns and cartridges.”
Shah said today, under the leadership of Modi ji, the Army is equipped with modern weapons like the BrahMos missile.
“The ‘Akash Teer’ missile destroys enemy missiles in the air itself, and our Army can turn Pakistan’s entire air defence system into rubble in just half an hour,” Shah said.
He said the Congress govt would have given a clean chit to Pakistan had they been in power today.
Operation Sindoor is not a war but the use of India’s power for self-defence, he said.
Shah further asserted that there has been a 75 per cent reduction in violence in insurgency and Left-wing extremism under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi.
Elaborated steps taken by the government to destroy the terror finance ecosystem in Kashmir, Shah said that Article 370 gave opportunities to Pakistan to promote terrorism in Kashmir but its removal started an era of elimination of terrorism.
“In Jammu and Kashmir, 2,564 stone-pelting incidents occurred in 2010. Not a single incident has occurred after 2024,” Shah said.
“Organized strikes — announced by Hurriyat leaders sitting in Pakistan, which kept the Valley shut for 132 days annually, have not been called even once in the last three years. Now they no longer have the courage to call for a shutdown,” Shah said.
“We hoisted the flag of the Indian constitution in Kashmir,” the Home Minister said, adding that terrorism is on the verge of extinction in Kashmir.
