No one would've dared to attack India had there been Operation Sindoor after 26/11: CM Devendra Fadnavis

Mumbai: Had India taken an Operation Sindoor-like action after the November 2008 Mumbai terror attack, no one would have dared to target the country again, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said.

Speaking at an event at the Gateway of India on Saturday to mark the coming 17th anniversary of the 26/11 attack, Fadnavis said it was not merely an attack on the Taj and Trident hotels. Mumbai is the economic capital of India, and the attack on the city was an attack on the sovereignty of the country, he said.

"Had we understood this and shown the courage to conduct an `Operation Sindoor' then, nobody would have dared to attack us again," he said.

India carried out military action under Operation Sindoor targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack of April 2025.

The Mumbai terror attack, during which Pakistani terrorists entered the city by sea route on November 26, 2008, and caused mayhem, claimed at least 166 lives.

Though 17 years have passed, "there is still pain in our hearts," Fadnavis said.

"We have gathered to honour the martyrs and the brave-hearts, and remember that the threat of terror still persists and we need to be alert. We need to be the eyes and ears of our country and speak in one language. We are safe if we are united," the BJP leader said.

Pakistan knows it cannot defeat India in a straightforward war, and hence the terrorist attack in Pahalgam and the recent blast in Delhi took place, he said.

He lauded security agencies for managing to seize 3,000 kg of RDX, which was to be used to conduct terror strikes in Mumbai and other cities.

"PM (Narendra) Modi has said terror and talks can not go together, and gave freedom to the armed forces to take action. Through Operation Sindoor, the world saw India's might. India is a strong country, and the war (against terror) is not over," Fadnavis said.

The event 'Global Peace Honours: Remembering the Heroes of 26/11 and Victims of Pahalgam Attack' was organised by the Divyaj Foundation, headed by the CM's wife, Amruta Fadnavis.