War with Pakistan only if inevitable, did not say complete no to it: Siddaramaiah

Asserting that it was the duty of the Central government to provide security to tourists at Pahalgam, he reiterated his stand that there were lapses in this regard, and failure on the part of the intelligence in preventing the incident.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

Credit: DH File Photo

Bengaluru: Accusing the BJP of misrepresenting his statements on the war with Pakistan, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said that war must always be a country’s last resort, and never the first option.

“I never said that war is unnecessary,” the CM told journalists after paying his final respects to eminent space scientist Dr K Kasturirangan in Bengaluru.

“What I said was that we are ready for war, if necessary. The BJP is creating this false narrative, claiming that I oppose waging war against terrorists or Pakistan. This is wrong,” said Siddaramaiah.

A few hours later, the CM doubled down on India’s readiness for “decisive and complete” action against the terrorists.

Participating in the Sadhana Samavesha rally organised to mark two years of Congress rule in Karnataka, Siddaramaiah called for the complete destruction of the terrorist infrastructure.

Furthermore, the CM said that India would not sit idly by in the face of provocation from any country, including Pakistan. “If necessary, India will defend her sovereignty by means of war,” he added.

“War should always be a nation’s last resort – never the first nor the only option. Only when all other means to defeat the enemy have failed should a country be compelled to go to war,” wrote Siddaramaiah on ‘X’.

The horrific terrorist attack in Pahalgam perpetrated by Pakistan-backed militants had raised concerns over India’s intelligence and security

infrastructure, said the CM, urging the Centre to take preventive steps to ensure such tragic incidents do not happen again.

On the sweeping diplomatic measures taken by the Centre in response – including revisiting the Indus Water Treaty – Siddaramaiah said, “India must proceed with caution and strength. Not every move must be broadcast to the world. Rest assured, the nation fully backs every decision.”

Dubbing Pakistan a “crumbling, bankrupt state” with little to lose, the CM said, “In contrast, India is a rising superpower on the world stage. Nations across the world have condemned the Pakistan-sponsored terror attack, and are standing with India. We must make use of such unprecedented global support, and teach such a lesson to Pakistan that it does not try such reckless acts again,” he said.