‘Mature and restrained; your leadership has been exemplary’: HD Deve Gowda praises PM Modi

NEW DELHI: As India strikes against Pakistan in retaliation against the Pahalgam terror attack under ‘Operation Sindoor’, former PM and Janata Dal (Secular) Rajya Sabha member HD Deve Gowda wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, describing the central government’s approach as “mature and restrained”.

“I write to you with a deep sense of appreciation, following India’s mature and restrained military response to the Pahalgam terrorist attack on 7 May 2025. I have been watching the determined steps that you have taken from day one, when you cut short your visit to Saudi Arabia and rushed back to monitor the developing situation in India, conduct strategy meetings, mobilise international support and inspire our armed forces. You also later cancelled your tour of Europe to be available at home for all emergencies”, Deve Gwda wrote to PM Modi.

My letter to Prime Minister @narendramodi avaru on his leadership during #OperationSindhoor.@PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/jO104b2ppx

— H D Devegowda (@H_D_Devegowda) May 8, 2025

He further said that PM Modi’s leadership has been “exemplary”, and history will “undoubtedly” record it in glowing terms. “The past couple of weeks must have been very demanding and stressful, but I am happy that God has given you the strength and resolve to see India through these trying times. Your leadership has been exemplary, and history will undoubtedly record it in glowing terms,” he added.

The former PM remarked that the Prime Minister’s spiritual grounding and calm judgment were evident in how the situation was handled. “I know it is lonely at the top there, and I also know that without a spiritual sense, deep reflection, and continuous prayer, it is not easy to find balance and equanimity of judgment. You have demonstrated that you have it all in good measure in the last few days. It was evident on a number of occasions in the past too”, he said.

The former PM invoked the values of “dharma” and prayed that divine strength would guide the Prime Minister and the country. “I pray that God be with you, and with our great nation as we wage this war of dharma against the adharma of terrorism. India is a peace-loving nation and has always. spread positive light in the world, but if someone sees it as our weakness, then, they now know, what we are capable of. The challenges we face may not certainly end here, but there is immense relief in the fact that we remain united as a nation. We suffer together, but we also rise together as nation and one people”, he said.

On Wednesday morning, the Indian Armed Forces targeted nine locations in deep areas of Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) under the Operation Sindoor. They launched strikes on several terrorist camps in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. (ANI)