'India Should Have Actioned A Kinetic Response After 9/11': Manish Tewari's New Book Looks At Nation Security Of Past 20 Years

Tewari’s opinions are from his new book '10 Flash Points; 20 Years' - National Security Situations that Impacted India' which looks at India’s National Security Challenge in the past two decades.

New Delhi: Congress MP Manish Tewari questioned India’s response to the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks and has said that the country should have taken an “actioned a kinetic response" against Pakistan in the days following the attacks.

Tewari’s opinions are from his newly launched book '10 Flash Points; 20 Years' - National Security Situations that Impacted India' which looks at India’s National Security Challenge in the past two decades.

“26/11 was one such time when it just should have been done. It, therefore, is my considered opinion that India should have actioned a kinetic response in the days following India's 9/11," says an excerpt from his book which has been published by Rupa Books. The Congress leader shared the excerpt on his Twitter page.

He has also talked about the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan and has written ‘in the past two decades the challenges to India's national security had exacerbated both in complexity and intensity.’

But the opposition has viewed Tewari’s revelation as another glimpse of UPA’s failures. BJP leader Amit Malviya tweeted in response to Tewari and said, “After Salman Khurshid, another Congress leader throws UPA under the bus to sell his book. Manish Tewari in his new book slams the UPA for weakness in the name of restraining post 26/11. Air Chief Marshal Fali Major is already on record saying IAF was ready to strike but UPA froze.”

He further slammed the Congress stating that their "muddle thinking on national security", declaring "... (it) made India a weak state".

"Just yesterday, Mani Shankar Aiyar questioned defence spending... today Manish Tewari rues UPA's weak response to 26/11. PC (P Chidambaram) as HM (Union Home Minister) wanted to launch offensive against Naxals... Digvijaya Singh (former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister) opposed," Malviya wrote in a second tweet.

The 26/11 attacks saw over 160 people murdered as terrorists went on a rampage across Mumbai. Nine terrorists were killed and the lone surviving attacker - Ajmal Kasab - was arrested and executed on November 11, 2012. This gruesome attack took place when the Congress-led UPA was in power. Between 2012 and 2014 Tewari was the I&B Minister in the second UPA government.

This week will mark the 13th anniversary of those horrific attacks.