Under Modi's leadership, all intruders will be punished: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday (June 8) lauded the Narendra Modi government’s track record on national security and said the prime minister has made the world realise that any intrusion into the borders of India will not be tolerated, but punished.

Speaking at a ‘virtual rally’ for the people of Odisha, Shah said that the world was made to realise that encroaching upon India’s borders is not a child’s play. “Punishment is meted out here,” Shah said while referring to surgical and air strikes ordered by PM Modi inside Pakistan during his first term.

“Under PM Modi’s leadership, any intrusion into the borders of India will be punished. Some used to say that US and Israel were the only countries which were willing and capable of avenging every drop of the blood of their soldiers. Modi Ji has added India to that list,” the home minister said.

The world realises that India will now not tolerate any intrusion into its borders, Shah said, while underscoring the Modi government’s commitment to protect India’s sovereignty.

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The BJP leader’s comments came at a time when Indian and Chinese armies are engaged in a standoff in Ladakh with both countries trying to defuse the crisis through diplomatic and military channels. Shah, however, made no direct comment on the issue.

India’s borders used to be violated earlier and our soldiers beheaded, the senior BJP leader said, claiming that “Delhi darbar“, a reference to the previous Congress-led UPA government, would keep quiet.

Such incidents happened during our times as well, he noted and referred to terror attacks in Uri and Pulwama during the Modi government’s first term. “Modi ji did not delay even for a moment. By ordering surgical and air strikes, he worked to punish (terrorists) inside Pakistan,” Shah said.

His strong emphasis on the Modi government’s commitment to national security came on a day Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took a swipe at him for his remarks that India is strong in protecting its borders, saying everyone knows the reality of the situation at the country’s borders, a clear reference to the Ladakh situation.

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Shah also strongly defended the central government over the migrant crisis, saying that everyone was anguished by their pain but their safety was a top priority for the Centre.

Targeting the opposition, he said the central government might have made a mistake or had some shortcomings, but its commitment was always there, and then asked what the rival parties did.

Somebody was interviewing people abroad in English on how to fight the coronavirus, Shah said in an apparent jibe at Rahul Gandhi, and added that the grand old party never did anything during disasters that the country has faced over the years except for “interviews”.

Gandhi has been speaking to personalities from different fields on various aspects of the coronavirus crisis.

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Asserting that all states did a good job in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, the senior BJP leader said the central government sought suggestions from all states; be it Odisha, West Bengal or Kerala, and rose above any partisan biases in this joint battle against the disease. He noted that Prime Minister Modi spoke to chief ministers through videoconferencing five times.

Over 1.25 crore migrants were transported safely to their homes by the government which had announced a package of ₹1.70 lakh crore to help the poor immediately after the lockdown was announced, Shah added.

(With inputs from agencies)