Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the 138th episode of his monthly radio broadcast, Mann Ki Baat, spoke about the 10th anniversary of the 2016 surgical strikes on Sunday, declaring that India today follows a "zero tolerance" policy against terrorism.
Recalling the Indian Army's action across the Line of Control on September 28-29, 2016, Modi, a day before the anniversary of the cross-border operation, said on All India Radio that the strikes proved that "if terrorists dare to cast an evil eye on India, they will be met with a befitting response." He called the operation a "decisive response" to years of terror attacks that India had faced.
The surgical strikes came weeks after the Uri attack of September 2016, in which 19 soldiers were killed at an army base. The strikes were India’s first direct military response to the attack on the Uri army base.
The Indian Army troops, including the commandos from various units of the Para (Special Forces) units, deployed in Jammu and Kashmir, carried out raids across the border on multiple targets. All these targets were launch pads for terrorists to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir and carry out attacks against military and civilian targets.
{{/usCountry}}The Indian Army troops, including the commandos from various units of the Para (Special Forces) units, deployed in Jammu and Kashmir, carried out raids across the border on multiple targets. All these targets were launch pads for terrorists to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir and carry out attacks against military and civilian targets.
{{/usCountry}}Modi placed the strikes in a continuum stretching to the 2019 Balakot Air Strikes and 2025’s Operation Sindoor, saying the last decade has "repeatedly" sent the same message to Pakistan.
Without naming any party, Modi said that in the past, "there used to be demands for action against Pakistan following every terror attack," but such calls were "often not given due attention" as governments simply waited for time to pass. The remark is widely seen as directed at the Congress-led UPA governments that preceded the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) 2014 return to power. The Congress in the past demanded more public evidence of the 2016 strikes, a demand the BJP repeatedly rejected as an attempt to drag the armed forces into politics.
Modi also recalled the September 13, 2008 serial blasts in Delhi and the 26/11 Mumbai attack weeks later, saying, "many innocent lives were lost." He tied the anniversary to 25 years since the 9/11 attacks in the United States, noting that Indians made up the largest group of foreign victims after Americans, and said he visited the World Trade Centre memorial during his first US trip as the PM in 2014.
On the ongoing national census, Modi said enumerators recorded data for "over 32 crore families" in the first phase, with work continuing in high-altitude areas of Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Uttarakhand. He said more than 26 million citizens have already completed self-enumeration through the online portal, a process he said "takes about 15 to 20 minutes" and requires no document uploads.
The PM also paid tribute to Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Ashok Singhal on his 100th birth anniversary, calling him someone who "dedicated his entire life to culture, society, and the nation." Singhal, born in Agra on September 27, 1926, was credited by Modi with shaping the Ram Janmabhoomi movement that led to the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Modi also highlighted the "Somnath Swabhiman Parv," marking a thousand years since Mahmud of Ghazni looted the Somnath temple in 1026. He said that Gujarat's Modhera Sun Temple, destroyed the same year, has since been rebuilt and now anchors India's first fully solar-powered village, calling it proof of the country's "resilience."
He highlighted the "Nasha Mukt Yuva Abhiyan," a 100-week anti-drug campaign involving volunteers from the MY Bharat platform and the National Service Scheme, and appealed to citizens ahead of the festive season: "If any young person is drifting towards a harmful habit, talk to them."
On rural enterprise, Modi cited Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh, where nearly 100 amla-processing units now operate under the "One District One Product" scheme, crediting women's self-help groups such as the Savitri Phule and Vindhyavasini collectives with rising incomes.
He also referenced state nutrition drives during September's Poshan Maah, including Chhattisgarh's "Har Ghar Munga" moringa campaign and Gujarat's millet-dish contest, and said nearly nine crore beneficiaries are now registered on the government's Poshan Tracker platform.
On wildlife conservation, Modi pointed to elephants returning to Assam's Sonai Rupai sanctuary after encroached land was cleared, and a breeding programme that has lifted the state's pygmy hog population to over 190 from an initial six.
Modi ended the broadcast by urging citizens to mark Gandhi Jayanti on October 2 with cleanliness drives and thanking listeners for their contributions. "Do continue to share such inspiring stories," he said.
He signed off the way he does at the end of every edition, telling citizens he would return the following month with more stories from across the country, and ended with his customary "Namaskar."
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