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Congress MP Manish Tewari’s book, in which he says India should have acted against Pakistan after 26/11, when his party was in power, has triggered a political storm.

On Tuesday, BJP leaders slammed the Congress over the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government’s response to the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai. They cited an excerpt from Tewari’s latest book, titled ’10 Flash Points; 20 Years – National Security Situations that impacted India’, in which he has said: “restraint is not a sign of strength”.

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“For a state (Pakistan) 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 that India should have actioned a kinetic response in the days following India’s 9/11,” Tewari wrote in the book, scheduled to release on December 1.

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Reacting to it, BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya tweeted, “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.”

“Just y’day, Mani Shankar Aiyar questioned defence spending, today Manish Tewari rues UPA’s weak response to 26/11. PC as HM wanted to launch an offensive against Naxals, Digvijaya Singh opposed. This muddled thinking on national security, made India a weak state under the Congress,” he said in another tweet.

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BJP’s Gaurav Bhatia also raised the issue at a press conference. “The facts have come out. It’s a confession of the failure of the Congress. The gist of this book is that restraint can be considered weakness. India should have taken strict action after the 26/11 attacks. The Congress government was insincere, useless. They were not even concerned about national security. Congress president Sonia Gandhiji, Rahul Gandhiji will you break your silence? Why was India’s brave army not given permission and free will at that time?”

BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla also tweeted, “Manish Tewari has rightly slammed UPA govt for weakness in name of restraint after 26/11 in his upcoming book. Air Chief Marshal Fali Major has already said that IAF wanted to take revenge for 26/11, UPA blocked it. Congress was busy blaming Hindus for 26/11 & saving Pakistan.”

“Rahul Gandhi & Congress consistently echo the Pakistani line on every issue – Hindutva, 370 & Surgical strikes. Today as we approach the 13th Anniversary of 26/11 the Congress must tell us what or who prevented a robust response post 26/11 like we saw post Uri & Pulwama,” he said in another tweet.

Earlier, Manish Tewari made an announcement regarding his book. “Happy to announce that my Fourth Book will be in the market shortly – ’10 Flash Points; 20 Years – National Security Situations that Impacted India’. The book objectively delves into every salient National Security Challenge India has faced in the past two decades,” he wrote on Twitter.

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Meanwhile, a Congress source said, “We haven’t read the book; the book isn’t out in the market Wouldn’t comment on it. Also, it’s his personal view.”

Another senior Congress leader, Salman Khurshid, had recently faced major outrage for equating Hindutva with terrorist groups, such as ISIS and Boko Haram in his book.

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India today

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