'Air Strikes, War Not Solution': Raj Thackeray Questions Modi Govt On Operation Sindoor

Raj Thackeray said that war was not a solution to the problem of terrorism and the government should give priority to finding the perpetrators of terror attacks.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray addresses the party state leaders' meeting in Mumbai.

Source : PTI

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Wednesday questioned government on Operation Sindoor saying that a terrorist attack is not an excuse or alternative for war.

The MNS chief said that war was not a solution to the problem of terrorism and the government should give priority to finding the perpetrators of terror attacks.

Indian armed forces early on Wednesday carried out missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), including the Jaish-e-Mohammad stronghold of Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba's base Muridke.

He said that the government must be questioned about why a terror attack could take place in Pahalgam in the first place. The remarks come on a day when the Indian armed forces carried out missile strikes on terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.

"War is no answer to a terrorist attack. In the US, they (terrorists) toppled the Twin Towers, attacked the Pentagon. The US did not wage a war. They killed those terrorists," the MNS chief said.

"You have not found the terrorists who attacked (tourists in Pahalgam). Why there was no security in a place where thousands of tourists are going for the last many years? It is more important to carry out a combing operation inside our country and find them out. The airstrike, distracting people....this, war can not be the solution," he added.

Raj Thackeray said that Pakistan is already ruined and added that the real question is that the four terrorists who carried out the Pahalgam attack haven't been found yet.

"Pakistan is already ruined. The real question is, the four terrorists who carried out the attack — they haven’t been found yet. Where thousands of tourists visit, why was there no security? That is the more important question," Thackeray said.

Raj Thackeray also questioned the mock drill called by the Union Home Ministry on Wednesday saying that instead of the drill, the government should carry out combing operation across the country.

"Instead of Wednesday's planned mock drill of Civil Defence, a combing operation should be carried out all over the country," Thackeray further said.

Criticizing what he called a misplaced show of strength, Thackeray said, "There seems to be a desire to create a war-like situation in another country. Now we see mock drills and sirens (going off). But we need to ask the fundamental question, why did this (attack in Pahalgam on April 22 in which 26 civilians were killed) happen in the first place?"

The MNS leader also took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his itinerary in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack. 

"The prime minister was in Saudi Arabia when this (terror attack) happened, and he returned early, only to go to Bihar for campaigning. That was not necessary. He went to Kerala for the inauguration of Adani's port and later came to Mumbai for the WAVES function. If the situation was so grave, all this could have been avoided," the MNS chief, who backed Modi during the 2024 general elections, said.

The government's failures need to be pointed out, Thackeray said, adding the country does not need a symbolic response. 

Find the terrorists, dismantle their networks, and tackle the drug menace that is spreading through our streets, he said.