New India hits back when enemies attack, says Shah

Only country other than US, Israel that retaliates beyond its borders when terrorists threaten national security is India: Home minister

NEW DELHI: A robust “nation first” paradigm laid down by Prime Minister Narendra Modi transformed the country’s response to terror attacks and propelled India into the company of countries such as the United States and Israel that treat national borders as inviolate, home minister Amit Shah said on Saturday.

Delivering the inaugural keynote address at the 19th Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, Shah hailed Modi for ending the special status of Jammu & Kashmir and integrating it with the country, and said that the now-nullified Article 370 had no link to peace in the Valley.

Commenting on the coming round of assembly elections, Shah said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will win the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections; that it is in talks with Amarinder Singh and former Akali Dal leader Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa for an alliance in Punjab; and that after the repeal of farm laws, there was no lingering resentment among cultivators.

The minister contrasted the response to terror attacks by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government to earlier administrations, saying that previously, terrorists used to illegally infiltrate into the country and hit security and army targets – without any retaliation from India.

“For the first time, PM Modi decided that breaching our borders was not a simple matter. The whole world was astounded when we entered Pakistan’s home to counter their terror in the form of surgical strike and air strike. Earlier, only two countries, US and Israel, were known for this, but