My Opinion

In a hard-hitting attack on Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, Congress must tell the nation who bowed to foreign pressure and prevented the Indian armed forces from mounting a military response after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks in 2008.
Addressing people while inaugurating the Navi Mumbai airport on Wednesday, Modi , without naming Congress leader P. Chidambaram, said: “A Congress leader, who has been the Home Minister, has said, India was ready to respond after 26/11 terror attacks on Mumbai, but because of pressure exerted by some country, the then Congress government prevented Indian armed forces from attacking Pakistan. Congress must clarify who was the person who took this decision and who ignored the sentiments of the people of Mumbai and rest of India. The nation has the right to know. This decision emboldened terrorists and weakened national security.”
I have seen P. Chidambaram’s interview to which Prime Minister Modi has referred. What Chidambaram said was quite clear.
One, he wanted India to attack Pakistan after the 26/11 terror attacks on Mumbai, our armed forces were ready to strike. Two, the then government did not take military action because of pressure from America. Three, the External Affairs ministry had conveyed that the US had dissuaded India from taking any action and India did not take any action.
This matter came to light earlier too. But it is now significant because the then Home Minister P. Chidambaram has now revealed it.
Modi mentioned it in his speech because, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had been consistently saying after the 4-day armed conflict with Pakistan that Modi “surrendered” to Donald Trump. The fact is, Modi has now turned the tables.
First, by taking military action against terror hideouts deep inside Pakistan, he conveyed the message that he did not fear, nor bowed before anybody, and today, he reminded the people of India that it was the Congress government in 2008 which had surrendered to America post-26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

Akhilesh meets Azam Khan : Will the ice be broken?

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav went to Rampur for a two-hour closed-door meeting with Azam Khan, recently released from prison. Akhilesh took Rampur MP Mohibullah Nadvi with him for the meeting, but when Azam Khan sent message that he would meet no one else for this one-to-one meeting, Nadvi was left behind in Bareilly.
After the meeting, Azam Khan said, “I am not a bird that flies from one branch to another. I shall not leave the Samajwadi Party”. Akhilesh Yadav described Azam Khan as the “oldest and strongest tree” of Samajwadi Party. The SP chief said, whatever people may say, Azam Khan’s blessings shall always be with the party.
Neither Azam Khan nor Akhilesh revealed what was discussed behind closed doors. In the morning, Azam Khan had said, he has not forgotten that Akhilesh had given Mohibullah Nadvi the ticket to contest from Rampur despite his reservations.
When Azam Khan was in jail, Nadvi had commented that Azam Khan is in “a reformatory” and he hoped he would come out as “a reformed man”.
Mohibullah Nadvi is of Turkish origin, while Azam Khan is a Pathan. Among the Muslims of Rampur, Turks and Pathans remain at loggerheads. Akhilesh Yadav wanted a patch-up today, but Azam Khan refused to shake hands.
UP minister Om Prakash Rajbhar said, Akhilesh is fearing the possibility of Azam Khan and Shivpal Singh Yadav joining hands to form a new party. UP deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak described this meeting as a “political compulsion” because SP has lost much of its base in Rampur.
Akhilesh Yadav and Azam Khan have a very old relationship. Azam Khan was one of the most trusted leaders of late Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Azam Khan has this habit of speaking out bitterly in public, but with a flair of its own. His remarks are biting, but dipped in sweet syrup. His remarks are always overloaded with meanings.
The fact remains that Azam Khan, after his release from prison, is a bitter man nowadays. He still feels that nobody supported him when he was in crisis. Leaders from various parties are interpreting the outcome of this meeting differently.
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