Mumbai, May 12 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has indicated a departure from the past by making it clear that India will not make any distinction between terrorists and a government harbouring them.
In his first address after Operation Sindoor, Modi sent a strong message to Pakistan that it can no longer evade responsibility for terror attacks, Fadnavis told reporters in Nagpur.
On the other hand, senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said Modi's address to the nation was high on rhetoric but left several questions unanswered.
"Prime minister Modi made it very clear that if a non-state actor is involved in a terror attack, the government of that country will be held accountable and will face consequences....This is a crucial shift, because Pakistan has always claimed before global forums that such acts were carried out by non-state actors and not linked to their government," said Fadnavis.
The PM articulated three "new normals", he said.
"Prime minister Modi clearly stated that every terrorist attack on Indian soil will be treated as a war against India and will invite strong retaliation. Second, India will no longer tolerate nuclear blackmailing. And third, there will be no distinction between terrorists, their supporters, and the government harbouring them," said Fadnavis.
The third point marked a clear departure from the past, said Maharashtra chief minister.
"When the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack happened, the Indian government had urged the international community to hold Pakistan accountable. But our demand was not accepted, and Pakistan was treated separately. Today, our prime minister has ended that ambiguity," the BJP leader said.
Talking to PTI, Chavan, a former chief minister, said there was no mention in the PM's speech about whether the Kashmir issue has been internationalised, and also of the Simla agreement.
"US president Donald Trump has managed to hyphenate the India-Pakistan relationship and has treated India on par with Pakistan. Is India ready to accept this position," Chavan asked.
"Now if there is a fresh terror attack, India will start war which means any two-bit terrorist can carry out a terror attack and there will be war," he said.
Modi should have also spoken about whether the Indian response was 'beyond imagination' as he had promised in Bihar after the Pahalgam terror attack, the former Union minister said.
"What happened to the Pahalgam terrorists? Who were the Americans talking to, the political leadership, military or bureaucrats," Chavan asked.
"The Prime Minister's speech was full of rhetoric and he did not answer questions," he said.
He also said that there was no clarity about losses on either side.
The PM was also silent on the issue of an all-party meeting or a special session of Parliament (as demanded by Congress), said Chavan.
NCP (SP) spokesperson Clyde Crasto told PTI that Pakistan cannot be trusted. "We have to be alert and make sure that a third-party mediation is not allowed," he said.
In his first address to the nation after Operation Sindoor, prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday sternly warned Pakistan that India will not succumb to nuclear blackmail and sent a clear message to the world: terror and trade, terror and talks cannot go together.
"Operation Sindoor is India's new policy against terrorism. We have only kept in abeyance our operations against Pakistan and the future will depend on their behaviour," Modi said.