New Delhi: In a significant political development, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his official residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg on Tuesday evening. The meeting came shortly after the Prime Minister held a high-stakes emergency huddle with top security officials to plan India’s response to the deadly Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 civilian lives, mostly tourists.
The timing of the meeting between the RSS chief and the Prime Minister is significant, especially in the context of Bhagwat’s recent remarks urging the central government to respond strongly to the attack. “We hope for a strong response… There is pain in our hearts. We are angry,” Bhagwat had said at a public event last week. Without naming the Prime Minister, he added, “The duty of the king is to protect the people. Teaching hooligans a lesson is also part of the duty.”
Earlier in the day, PM Modi chaired a critical meeting attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, NSA Ajit Doval, CDS General Anil Chauhan, and the chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Sources called the meeting “extraordinary in urgency and nature,” reflecting the mood in the capital following the April 22 massacre in Pahalgam by Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists.
During the meeting, PM Modi gave the armed forces complete operational freedom to choose the “mode, targets, and timing” of India’s response. “India is determined to deliver a crushing blow to terrorism,” government sources quoted the PM as saying, hinting at a potentially major military retaliation.
Intelligence and surveillance along the Line of Control and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir have been intensified. In addition to military preparedness, diplomatic steps have already been taken, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty and the expulsion of short-term Pakistani visa holders.
With tension running high, Tuesday’s twin developments — the high-level security meeting and Bhagwat’s visit — underscore a clear message: India’s response is not only imminent but could redefine its counter-terror posture in the region.
(IANS)
