india

Updated: Mar 11, 2019 05:51 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said India cannot continue suffering terrorism forever and that his government has taken some “strong decisions” against it.

“For many decades, the country and numerous families have suffered the wounds and pain given by terrorism, Naxalism, and insurgency. What happened in Pulwama and Uri was heartbreaking. We cannot bear this pain till eternity. Enough is enough,” Modi said at a function to celebrate 50 years of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)’s foundation.

India carried out an air strike on a terror camp in Pakistan on February 26 in retaliation to the February 14 car bomb attack that left 40 Central Reserve Police Force men dead in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district. Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed responsibility for the attack.

“Someone, sometime has to take a big decision [against such terror acts]... it is my privilege that with the support of the crores of people of this country, we took some strong decisions,” Modi said.

He said the government has adopted “a new policy” to act against terrorism and that it was its responsibility to live up to the expectations of the families of the security personnel killed in the line of duty. “Our government is purchasing all modern gadgets required by our security forces to tackle such challenges,” Modi said. Modi said that “various conspiracies” being hatched within the country were getting encouragement from across the border in Pakistan.

He lauded the CISF and said the role of the force has become more significant in terms of combating terrorism.

Modi referred to the “VIP culture” and said it poses a hindrance to the extraordinary work the CISF, which is responsible for the security of 61 airports across the country, has been carrying out. “I also have a security cover... It is easy to protect one person rather than protecting an institution where lakhs of different people arrive and have different behaviour. This becomes more difficult than protecting a VIP. You are serving the country and biggest hindrance is people like me... and colleagues who think themselves as big VIPs. Their tempers run high when a jawan asks for security check as part of his duty.”