Kochi (Kerala) [India], May 3 : After meeting the family of N Ramachandran, who was killed in the Pahalgam terror attack, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday urged the nation not to allow terrorists to divide or define India's identity along religious lines.
Speaking to ANI, Tharoor lauded the family of N Ramachandran for their composure and resilience.
"The family has conducted themselves with such grace, dignity and decency that this must be acknowledged and praised. They made a very, very moving statement during the funeral. They have done something which is so important for all of India to understand that we cannot let the terrorists decide who we should be. We cannot let the terrorists who want to divide us on the grounds of religion succeed in dividing us," Tharoor said.
"I think for our country and for the future of our country, we cannot let the terrorists change us. We cannot let the terrorists make us into what they want us to be and what they want to show the world," the Congress MP asserted.
A total of 26 tourists were killed by terrorists in the Baisaran valley of Pahalgam on April 22. This included 25 Indian nationals and one Nepalese citizen.
On April 29, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Anil Chauhan, and the three service chiefs. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval was also present. The Pahalgam terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir killed 26 people, making it one of the deadliest attacks in the valley since the 2019 Pulwama attack, where 40 CRPF jawans were killed.
The sources said PM Modi expressed complete faith and confidence in the professional abilities of the Indian armed forces. They said that PM Modi stated that the Indian Armed Forces have complete operational freedom to decide on the mode, targets, and timing of India's response.