Shiv Sena slams Modi after Pathankot attacks

In a scathing attack on the Narendra Modi-led BJP government over the terror attacks in Pathankot, Shiv Sena has asked the PM to focus on the country and questioned the logic of talks with Pakistan at a time when India was bearing the brunt of Pak-sponsored terrorism.

An editorial in Sena mouthpiece Saamna, which has party president Uddhav Thackeray as its editor and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut as the executive editor, stated that the attacks that came just days after Modi met his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif, was "an evidence of the country's borders being unsafe and a collapsed internal security system".

It also referred to Modi's statement before he became the PM, wherein he had questioned the logic of holding talks with Pakistan in the backdrop of violence. "We want that Modi," the Sena demanded, seeking retribution for the attacks. Referring to Modi's foreign tours, it said, "It is time he also focusses attention on our country."

"Pakistan has declared a war on us by infiltrating just six-seven terrorists," the editorial said, adding that the attack had exposed the claims of India's immense military prowess. "…but are the rulers serious on an issue of national security?" the Sena questioned, adding that the defence minister, PM and others needed to introspect and improve.

The editorial noted that after Modi's surprise visit to meet Sharif in Lahore, the Sena had warned that one should not believe them (Pakistan). "Look, a horrible treachery has taken place," the editorial alleged, noting that Pakistan needed to be warned that if they wanted to improve ties with India, they should hand over the attack's mastermind Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Maulana Masood Azhar to India rather than just issuing mere condemnations.

The editorial noted that those who were lauding Modi's diplomatic masterstroke after his Lahore visit were keeping mum after the Pathankot attacks. It added that in case this had happened during the Congress regime, demands to attack Pakistan to teach it a lesson would have been made.