Rajnath Singh refers to Manish Tewari's book, says UPA government did not take effective action after Mumbai terror attack

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday hit out at the Congress and said UPA government did not take effective action against terrorism in the wake of 2008 Mumbai terror attacks in which over 160 people were killed.

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday hit out at the Congress and said UPA government did not take effective action against terrorism in the wake of 2008 Mumbai terror attacks in which over 160 people were killed. Addressing Bharatiya Janata Party's booth adhyaksh Saammelan here, Rajnath Singh referred to a new book written by Congress leader Manish Tewari and said it has "accepted the truth that the then Congress government did not act strongly against terrorism after 2008 Mumbai terror attacks".

"When I address you all here today, I remember that the terrorists had launched a terror attack in Mumbai in 2008. Coming from Pakistan, the terrorists had launched a cowardly terror attack in Mumbai and killed more than 160 people. After that, the then UPA government did not take the effective action against terrorism that they should have taken," he said. "It is not only me who is saying this. Congress' senior leader, Manish Tewari wrote a book and admitted the reality that the government should have taken effective action after the terror attack in 2008. It did not take such action," he added.

Talking about India's response to the terror attacks in Uri and Pulwama, Singh said that the action that the BJP-led government took after the attack is discussed in the entire world. "But today, everybody would admit the reality that effective action is being taken against terrorism under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I want to remind you that, whatever our government has done after the terror attack in Uri and Pulwama, is not only discussed in India but also in the entire world," he said.

"We gave the message to the entire world after the terror attack in Uri and Pulwama that if anybody provokes India, we can wipe them out not only on this side of the border but also on the other side of the border if there is a necessity," he said. Manish Tewari said in the book that strong action should have been taken after Mumbai terror attack.

"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," the book said. Tewari had slammed the BJP's reaction to his book and said the book dissects 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," he said in a tweet. (ANI)

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