Narendra Modi tore into the Congress and Pakistan in equal measure and did not spare even Jawaharlal Nehru in a combative speech in the Lok Sabha during the Parliament’s discussion on Operation Sindoor on Tuesday, but the prime minister spared the country details of India’s losses.
His speech lasted 1:46 hours and was filled with barbs – at the Opposition in general and the Nehru-Gandhi family in particular – and boasts about India’s defence capabilities under his watch.
His spoke in Hindi, with plenty of pauses for dramatic effect. Like when he spoke about how the Opposition leaders were asking why he did not take back Pakistan occupied Kashmir: “Who else can they ask this to except me?”
He did not shy away from 56-inch-chest references either.
Here are five things Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, and one thing he carefully avoided, in what he called a “Vijayotsav” – victory celebration – in Parliament for the armed forces for Operation Sindoor, which he said had avenged the Pahalgam terrorist attack.
1. ‘Nuclear blackmail won’t work’
India had called out Pakistan’s nuclear bluff, and showed the world it would no longer be cowed by threats of escalation, the prime minister said.
He said India struck terror bases deep inside Pakistan in just 22 minutes after the April 22 Pahalgam attack, and that Islamabad’s sabre-rattling, including veiled nuclear threats, did not stop India from responding forcefully.
“Pakistan had some inkling of Indian action and started issuing nuclear threats, but could do nothing when terror targets were hit,” Modi said in Hindi. “India responds on its own terms, bullets will be met with cannons.”
This response, he said, exposed the limits of Pakistan’s deterrence and revealed a shift in India’s strategic posture. “Only three countries spoke for Pakistan at the UN,” he said.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had said in his speech that many countries had condemned terrorism but none had condemned Pakistan after the Pahalgam terrorist attack on April 22.
2. ‘No country stopped us’
Modi said: “No leader of any country asked India to stop any action in its defence against terror.”
It was obviously in response to Opposition accusations of international interference.
US Vice President J.D. Vance had tried calling him “three-four times” during Operation Sindoor, Modi said, but was too busy in high-level meetings with the armed forces. Modi said that he had later told Vance bluntly that India would retaliate harder if attacked.
Before Modi’s speech, Rahul Gandhi had thrown a dare at Prime Minister Modi, pointing out US President Donald Trump’s repeated claims of having stopped the war between India and Pakistan. “If Trump is lying, let Modi say he is lying,” Rahul had said.
3. ‘1,000 drones, missiles shot down’
The prime minister said his government had undertaken reforms and modernisation of the armed forces and defence production, all of which, he said, previous Congress governments had ignored.
He said Operation Sindoor had “planted India’s flag firmly in the global defence market” and there was increasing interest in made in India munitions.
India’s air defence systems destroyed 1,000 drones and missiles launched by Pakistan on the night of May 9, Modi said.
“Our air defence systems are now being talked about across the world,” he said.
4. ‘Blood and water cannot flow together’
Modi tore into the Congress, accusing the Opposition of acting as “spokespersons of Pakistani propaganda.”
“It has been an old habit of Congress to mistrust the armed forces,” he said, accusing the party of seeking “proof” after surgical strikes.
“The era of ‘Aman ki Asha’ and terrorism running in parallel is over. We’ve shut down this one-way traffic,” Modi thundered.'
He mocked the Opposition for first asking “what happened to the terrorists in Pahalgam?” and then lamenting their deaths when India responded. “They cry when terrorists die in Pakistan and cry here too,” he said.
Modi added that even Pakistan’s DGMO came pleading for a halt “Don’t hit us anymore, we can’t suffer any longer,” as India held the upper hand.
He said Jawaharlal Nehru had cost India dearly with the Indus Waters Treaty. Modi cited the treaty as unfair to India’s farmers and said “blood and water cannot flow together”.
He accused the Congress of sticking with the treaty to earn diplomatic brownie points.
Shortly after the Pahalgam attack, Pakistani leader Bilwal Bhutto had said 'blood will flow” if India stops the river waters.
5. ‘Self-reliance in defence’
The prime minister pitched the military response to Pakistan as a showcase of India’s defence manufacturing push.
“Drones and missiles made in India exposed the capabilities of Pakistani arms,” he said, pointing to successful intercepts and strikes using indigenously developed platforms.
“India’s defence sector is undergoing a revolution,” Modi said, listing reforms including the entry of private players and hundreds of defence start-ups, “many run by young women.”
He lashed out at the Congress for what he called neglecting defence modernisation during its rule: “During their time, there was no thought of self-reliance. India was dependent on imports.”
What he didn’t say: How many planes lost
There was no mention of losses India suffered in the prime minister’s speech. A number of Opposition leaders in both the Houses had asked for details on how many fighter jets, including Rafales, were lost.