We only used to do ‘kadi ninda’, political leadership was weak: Fadnavis on 26/11

Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday talked about the 26/11 Mumbai attack, a day after the 14th anniversary of the ghastly terror strike, and praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership in fighting terrorism.

In an interview with Panchjanya, RSS mouthpiece, Fadnavis said, “When an attack takes place, soft diplomacy does not work. What was our diplomacy before? You attack us, we condemn the attack. You attack us again, we do ‘kadi ninda’. You attack us again, we do ‘kadi se kadi ninda’. You kept attacking us and we kept condemning, sending dossier. But Modiji changed our approach,” Fadnavis said.

“Modi ji said if you attack us, we will enter your place and attack you. And our Army did that. And it’s not only about Pakistan, our Army faced China in Doklam with the same valour. Our Army always had strength. But our political leadership was weak. It used to get scared sometimes by America, sometimes by the international community etc.” Fadnavis said.

Praising PM Modi’s leadership, Fadnavis said it was for him that the United States gave permission of David Headley’s deposition from the US in the case.

‘Was supposed to visit Taj Hostel on 26/11’

Fadnavis said he used to stay at the MLA hostel near Leopold café and was scheduled to visit the Taj Hotel on 26/11. “I never told this before. A Sri Lankan member of Parliament came that day and we had planned our dinner at Taj. But later, my guest asked me whether we could meet somewhere near the airport. We went to Hyatt. So I remember that day very vividly. And I saw how Mumbai shrugged off the tragedy and rose,” Fadnavis said.

‘We had intelligence of 26/11 but did not act’

“I was an opposition MLA during the 26/11 and I raised the issue several times in the Assembly that we had the intelligence but did not act,” Fadnavis said. After six years of the attack, there was no CCTV surveillance in Mumbai, Fadnavis said in the interview. “It was finally done when I got the opportunity to become the chief minister,” Fadnavis said. “Phase 2 started in 2019 and in the last 2.5 years, nothing happened. We are again working on that,” Fadnavis said.