Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Day 2 of the Operation Sindoor debate in Parliament, addressed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
Modi’s speech came on that same day that Home Minister Amit Shah announced that India had established that the three terrorists killed in Operation Mahadev had carried out the Pahalgam attack.
It also came on the same day that Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on the Modi-led BJP government at the Centre.
But what did Modi say in his speech that went over 90 minutes? What are the key takeaways from the prime minister’s speech in Parliament?
Let’s take a closer look
JD Vance reached out
Modi during his speech mentioned that on May 9, days after the Operation Sindoor, US Vice-President JD Vance attempted to get in touch with him.
Modi said he could not speak to Vance because he was busy in a meeting.
“On May 9, JD Vance tried to speak to me. I couldn’t take his calls because I was busy in a meeting. Then, I called him back and he told me that Pakistan was going to launch a big attack on India,” Modi said.
He warned Vance that any such attempt by Pakistan would backfire.
“If they attack, we will launch a bigger attack. I said their ‘goli’ will be retaliated with our ‘gola’,” Modi said.
. “I conveyed to the US that any misadventure by Pakistan would invite an even stronger response," he added.
‘Here to put out side of India’
Modi during his speech by slamming the Congress Party and the opposition’s remarks on Operation Sindoor.
Rahul on Tuesday had taken the government to task for its handling of Operation Sindoor, claiming the operation was an “exercise to protect PM Modi’s image”.
Modi hit back strongly at Rahul and the Congress.
“I am here to put out the side of India. I am here to show the mirror to the people who can’t see the side of India”, Modi said.
“The country is seeing that India is becoming self-sufficient but it is also seeing that while India is progressing, the Congress is relying on Pakistan for issues. Congress is importing issues from Pakistan,” Modi said.
Modi has repeatedly accused the Congress of adopting Pakistan’s position on issues and undermining India’s national security.
“On May 10, we stopped the action under Operation Sindoor. Many things were said against it. Some people don’t believe what the Army says but they believe what Pakistan is saying,” Modi added.
He said Pakistan attacked India with 1,000 missiles and drones which would have caused ‘massive destruction’ if they had landed.
Thankfully, they were destroyed in the skies, Modi added.
Modi said very Indian is proud of it, but the Congress members were waiting for him to slip up.
Modi pointed out that Congress party from many weeks was asking about the Pahalgam terrorists.
Then, yesterday, when Indian forces killed the terrorists during Operation Mahadev they asked why it happened on this day.
“At a time when our forces are engaged in a battle of resolve, some are playing politics. Today’s warfare includes narratives and information. Weakening the morale of our troops through misinformation helps the enemy," Modi said.
‘No world leader told us to stop’
Modi also said that no world leader told India to stop.
“No global leader told us to stop," Modi said.
Rahul had dared Modi to publicly refute Trump’s claim that he had intervened between India and Pakistan to get a ceasefire.
“Donald Trump said 29 times that he stopped the war. If PM has even 50 per cent of Indira Gandhi’s courage, he should stand up in Parliament and say ‘Donald Trump is lying, he never mediated any ceasefire,” Rahul said.
“If he has the courage, he will say here that Donald Trump is a liar,” he added.
Rahul had dared Modi to call Trump “a liar” on the floor of the House.
“Why is the Prime Minister silent? If Trump is lying, say it. Say it in Parliament.”
Trump had claimed he mediated a ceasefire between the two nations by using a potential trade deal as a bargaining chip.
“We had said from day one that our action was non-escalatory,” Modi reitierated.
“There has been a lot of discussion on foreign policy and the global support India received after Pahalgam and Op Sindoor… but the truth is no country in the world stopped India from acting to protect itself. In fact, out of 193 countries only three supported Pakistan.”
Modi added that India had avenged the April 22 Pahalgam attack in 22 minutes.
“India launched its operation on the intervening nights of May 6 and 7. In 22 minutes our forces avenged April 22,” Modi added.
“The operation is still on. India’s forces are acting with full confidence.”
Modi also took a jibe at Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during his speech.
Modi, though he did not mention Sharif by name, said some were swimming when India was conducting its strikes.
Sharif had admitted to doing so during India’s Operation.
‘Gave free hand to forces’
Modi also countered the opposition narrative that the government lacked the political will to fight Pakistan.
“I was abroad on April 22. I came back and as soon as I came back, I called a meeting. In the meeting, we directed that we need to give an apt response to terror. We gave a free hand to the forces,” Modi said.
Rahul had earlier in the day accused the government of forcing the armed forces to fight Operation Sindoor with one hand tied behind their backs.
Modi said India brought Pakistan to its knees.
“When Pakistan decided to stand with the terrorists, Indian forces launched an action that Pak would remember for years. On May 9, our missiles were launched, forcing Pakistan on its knees,” Modi said.
The prime minister added that Pakistan was left begging for a ceasefire.
“They asked us to stop the war,” Modi added. “Pakistan then called our DGMO and requested to stop, saying ‘bahut maara, ab zyada maar jhelne ki takat nahi hai, please hamla rok do’.”
‘Pahalgam was height of cruelty’
Modi also described the Pahalgam terror attack as the “height of cruelty”.
“What happened in Pahalgam on April 22 was cruel. The way terrorists killed the people after asking their religion was the heights of cruelty,” said PM Modi.
According to eyewitnesses, the terrorists during the Pahalgam attack had enquired about the tourists’ religions – particularly the men.
They also asked some to recite Islamic verses and shot dead those who are unable to do so.
Modi’s remarks came on the same day that Shah announced that India had confirmed it had killed the terrorists who carried out the Pahalgam attack. Shah said India did so via forensic and ballistic evidence.
‘Demolished terror bases belonging across Pakistan’
Modi added that India’s armed forces had demolished terror bases belonging to the Jaish‑e‑Mohammed, Lashkar‑e‑Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen across Pakistan.
India during Operation Sindoor had launched its deepest ever strikes since the 1971 war.
This included strikes in Pakistan’s Punjab province with targets in Bahawalpur, Muridke, Sialkot, and Sheikhupur being hit. The targets were between 40 and 100 kilometres inside Pakistani territory.
India said it had taken out nearly two dozen terror camps and killed over 100 terrorists.
Modi also spoke about how India had refused to give in to Pakistan’s nuclear blackmail.
“We proved that India won’t bow to Pakistan’s nuclear blackmailing. Their air bases are still in the ICU," Modi added.
Modi in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor on May 12 had said that Pakistan’s nuclear blackmail would no longer be tolerated. He said terrorist attacks on India would result in a ‘befitting reply’ and India would give its response on its own terms.
Modi also said that India had during Operation Sindoor showed the world the strength of its indigenous weapons.
“During Operation Sindoor, for the first time the world saw the strength of Made-in-India,” Modi said.
“From drones to missiles, our entire operation was powered by Made-in-India systems. The world is witnessing the strength of a self-reliant India,” he said.
Modi also added that Pakistan’s weapons stood exposed.
He also warned Pakistan against engaging in any further misadventures.
“Operation Sindoor is not over. It will continue for as long as necessary. India will decide the terms and on its own timeline and on its own terms," Modi added.
Modi slams Nehru over PoK, Indus Water Treaty
Modi also slammed former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru over Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Modi said the opposition was asking why PoK had not returned to India. He asked under whose government it happened.
Modi said the answer is clear and that it happened under Nehru’s leadership.
“The people who are asking that why we didn’t take back PoK, I want to ask them whose government let Pakistan capture PoK. The answer is clear. Whenever I speak of Nehru, the Congress and its ecosystem get jittery,” Modi said.
“They said Aksai Chin was barren and gave it away,” he added.
He said some poor decisions were made after Independence when Congress gave most-favoured nation status to Pakistan – all the while Pakistan kept sending terrorists to India.
He said it was Nehru who signed the Indus Water treaty.
He pointed out that it was Nehru and the Congress who decided to go to World Bank on the issue of Indus Water Treaty.
He said it was Nehru who agreed to give Pakistan 80 per cent water.
“If the treaty was not signed, there were major projects on the western river. There was no scarcity of water. Even after that, Nehru gave Pakistan crores of rupees so that it can build canals,’ Modi said.
Modi said his administration ended one way traffic from Pakistan, closed the Atari border and removed most favoured nation status.
It remains to be seen how the Congress and opposition will respond to the prime minister’s speech.
With inputs from agencies