PM: Navi Mumbai airport a glimpse of Viksit Bharat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday accused the Congress of weakening the fight against terrorism when it was in power as he inaugurated the first phase of the Navi Mumbai International Airport and called India's largest greenfield airport a "glimpse" of Viksit Bharat (developed India).

- Yogesh Naik and G Mohiuddin Jeddy

On the first day of his two-day trip to the country's financial capital, Modi also inaugurated the final leg of the Cuffe-Parade to Worli underground metro, part of the $4 billion infra upgrade for Mumbai, and launched Mumbai One, an integrated ticketing app for 11 public transport services. Earlier in the day in Delhi, he told delegates at the India Mobile Congress that this was "the best time to invest, innovate and make in India".

Referring to a recent interview by former home minister P Chidambaram, he asked why the Congress had refrained from military action against Pakistan after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

"Mumbai is not only India's financial capital but also one of its most vibrant cities. In 2008, terrorists targeted the city and the Congress government showed its weakness by not attacking those who were behind the attack...If a top Congress leader, who has been a Union minister, is to be believed, the then UPA government buckled under pressure of a foreign country against attacking Pakistan even though our defence forces were ready and the mood of the nation was to strike (the neighbouring country)," the PM said.

"The Congress must tell the nation who made this decision under foreign pressure, disregarding the sentiments of Mumbai and the nation. This weakness of Congress only emboldened terrorists," he said, contrasting it with his own government's Operation Sindoor launched after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people.