GangaikondaCholapuram, July27 :Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said Operation Sindoor showed the world the way India would respond if its sovereignty was attacked and that the cross-border military offensive has created a new self-confidence across the country.
Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, also proved that for enemies and terrorists targeting India, there is no safe haven, Modi said in his address at an event here to honour the Tamil emperor RajendraChola-I.
The event marks the birth anniversary of the RajendraChola-I which is celebrated as the ‘AadiThiruvathirai’ (the birth star of the king is Thiruvathirai in the Tamil month of Aadi) festival. Also, it commemorates 1,000 years of RajendraChola’s legendary maritime expedition to South East Asia and the commencement of the construction of the GangaikondaCholapuram temple, a magnificent example of Chola architecture.
“The world saw how India responds if someone attacks its security and sovereignty,” he said about the military strikes at chosen targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7.
Further, he said: “Operation Sindoor proved that for enemies of India, for terrorists, there is no safe haven. When I came here from the helipad, the 3-4 km distance suddenly became a roadshow, and everyone was praising Op Sindoor. It has created a new awakening, a new self-confidence across the country. The world has to realise India’s strength.”
The PM said operation Sindoor has raised a new confidence in the people of India and the whole world is witnessing it. On the legacy of RajendraChola, he said, out of deep respect, the temple gopuram was built lower than that of his father’s Brihadeeswarar Temple in Thanjavur.
Despite his achievements, RajendraChola exemplified humility. “Today’s New India embodies this same spirit—becoming stronger, yet rooted in values of global welfare and unity”, the Prime Minister said.
Noting that July 27 marks the death anniversary of former President A P J Abdul Kalam, Modi remarked that in order to lead a developed India, the country needs millions of youth like Kalam and the Chola kings.
