Raj Thackeray Criticises Operation Sindoor, Urges Government To Focus On Combing Operations, Not War
Raj Thackeray Criticises Operation Sindoor, Urges Government To Focus On Combing Operations, Not War
Pune | May 7, 2025 — Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has strongly criticised the Indian government’s recent Operation Sindoor, questioning its purpose and effectiveness. Calling Pakistan a “ruined nation,” Thackeray said there’s little point in escalating tensions with a country that is already collapsing internally.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Thackeray said, “Pakistan is already a ruined nation. What will you ruin there? War is not an answer to terror attacks.” He cited the example of the United States post-9/11, where the focus remained on eliminating terrorists rather than declaring full-scale war.
Operation Sindoor, launched in the early hours of May 7, was a retaliatory strike by the Indian armed forces targeting nine terrorist infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The strikes came in response to the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, which claimed 26 civilian lives, including one Nepali national.
Thackeray questioned the government’s preparedness and intelligence before the April 22 attack. “Why was there no security in places where tourists gather in large numbers?” he asked. He also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for attending campaign events in Bihar and inaugurating a port in Kerala while the nation was dealing with a security crisis. “If the situation is that serious, there was no need for these public appearances,” Thackeray stated.
He argued that rather than conducting symbolic airstrikes or mock drills, the government should focus on ground-level combing operations in vulnerable areas to root out threats more effectively.
Operation Sindoor has drawn global diplomatic attention, with India defending its right to self-defence and emphasizing that the strikes targeted only terror infrastructure, not Pakistani military assets. Pakistan, however, has condemned the action, calling it an “act of war.”
Thackeray concluded by urging the government to “focus on internal preparedness rather than external posturing”, adding that the true solution to terrorism lies in intelligence, precision, and strategic containment — not escalation.
