Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday drew a parallel between the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and the 9/11 attacks in the United States, asserting that terrorists targeted the Taj and Trident hotels to challenge India’s sovereignty and send a message to the world.
“The 9/11 attack was carried out on the Twin Towers to tell that America’s might was in the Twin Towers. Similarly, the Taj and Trident weren’t just hotels. Mumbai, India’s economic capital, was chosen to tell the world that we had attacked India,” Fadnavis said.
Calling the attack a direct challenge to the nation, he added, “This attack was on India’s sovereignty… If we had understood that challenge and perhaps shown the courage of Operation Sindoor, no one would have dared to attack us today. But we didn’t show that courage at that time.”
Fadnavis highlighted that under the current government, India has changed its stance on terrorism. “After Pahalgam, the Prime Minister stated very clearly that terror and talks cannot coexist and gave our army a free hand. The Indian Army entered Pakistan and eliminated all targets. Pakistan was unable to do anything. The world witnessed India’s strength and capability through Operation Sindoor, and today the world recognises that India is a transformed nation.”
He said Pakistan now resorts to proxy warfare, unable to confront India directly. “Pakistan knows it cannot defeat India in a direct fight. Therefore, it tries to wage a proxy war… With an explosion in Delhi, it attempts to assert its presence once again.”
Fadnavis added that Indian agencies successfully pre-empted major terror plots targeting multiple cities, including Mumbai. “Their intentions were to detonate bombs in every corner of India… But when our agencies sensed this and directly attacked them, they still attempted to demonstrate their presence through the Delhi explosion.”
The Chief Minister emphasised that India’s counter-terror readiness and decisive actions today reflect a nation that “has transformed and stands strong against any threat.”
