New Delhi, Nov 23: Former union minister Manish Tewari’s new book, where he criticised the then UPA government saying India did not give a “kinetic response” to the Mumbai Terror attacks of November 2008, stirred a storm on Tuesday with BJP leaders slamming the Congress for being soft on terror.
Tewari announced his new book ’10 Flash Points; 20 Years – National Security Situations that Impacted India’, on Tuesday morning.
“The book objectively delves into every salient National Security Challenge India has faced in the past two decades,” he said in a tweet.
A controversy was triggered soon after, as BJP’s Amit Malviya tweeted a page of excerpts from the book, shared by Tewari himself.
“For a state that has no compunctions in brutally slaughtering hundreds of innocent people, restraint is not a sign of strength; it is perceived as a symbol of weakness. There comes a time when actions must speak louder than words. 26/11 was one such time when it just should have been done. It, therefore, is my considered opinion India should have actioned a kinetic response in the days following India’s 9/11,” said the excerpt.
Malviya, slamming the Congress leader, 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 restraint post 26/11. Air Chief Marshal Fali Major is already on record saying IAF was ready to strike but UPA froze”.
BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said it was ‘sad’ that the Indian Air Force and army were not granted permission to retaliate for the terrorist attacks by the UPA government”.
“Congress president Sonia Gandhiji, Rahul Gandhiji will you break your silence today? Sonia Gandhiji, our question is why India’s brave army was not given permission at that time?” he questioned.
“Whatever Manish Tiwariji said in his book, it would be appropriate to call it a confession of the failure of the Congress. Today it became clear that the Congress government was useless and not even concerned about the integrity of India on issues like national security,” he said.
Tewari responded to the charges in a Tweet, and said, “I am rather amused at BJP reaction to one excerpt from a 304 Page book that tries to dissect responses to National Security Situations that Impacted India. I wonder would they react similarly to some “hard analysis’ about their handling of the National Security Remit also?”
Congress Spokesperson Pawan Khera meanwhile refused to comment on the book, and said he has not read it.
“I haven’t seen the book. It’s not yet out. It would be improper on my part to comment on something without knowing the context of these excerpts.”
In the excerpts shared, Tewari also talks about the impact of Taliban takeover of Afghanistan on security in Jammu and Kashmir and other western states in India, and in another paragraph, slammed the Narendra Modi led government of BJP for scrapping the plan for raising a mountain strike corps against China.
On November 26, 2008, ten Pakistan-based LeT terrorists had carried out 12 coordinated shootings and bombings in multiple location in Mumbai, killed more than 150 and injuries several.
Nine terrorists were killed and the lone surviving attacker, Ajmal Kasab, was arrested and executed November 11, 2012. The gruesome attack took place as the Congress-led UPA was in power at the centre. UNI
Former minister questions UPA’s response to 26/11, BJP slams Congress for being soft on terror
