Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani on Tuesday said there can be no justification for terrorism.
"Pakistan has been reiterating that India is talking about terrorism without addressing the root cause, that is, Kashmir. Pakistan has been propagating world over that the root cause -- Kashmir -- should be resolved first by India if they want to address the issue of terrorism. It is time we reject this theory. Terrorism is evil. There cannot be any ifs and buts," Advani said.
He said the root cause theory cannot be made the rationale for killing innocent people.
Criticising those who linked the Gujarat riots with the recent twin blasts in Mumbai, Advani said, "Even few influential people talked about this root cause theory while reacting on the blasts in Mumbai... it is wrong."
"People will always have issues, grievances and there will be no justification for the issues. So you cannot justify terrorism," Advani said.
On the problem of insurgency in the northeast, he said, "It is often said the root cause of that insurgency is unemployment, poverty among other issues. But this cannot be a justification for terrorism."
Even the US is accused of supporting Israel, which is often being described as the root cause by terrorists, the deputy prime minister said. "One has to understand that the root cause is nothing but a perverse theory and it is time one should reject it by tackling terrorism."
© 2026