PTI

NEW DELHI. Dec 11: Declaring that the Mumbai terror strikes were a "war on India", Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said on Thursday that the message should go to the perpetrators that there is a "cost" to killing innocent Indians.

"It is not enough for us to protect the people ... we should go one step beyond. People who have done this should understand very clearly ... not only do we hold lives of our people highly, but there is also a cost to killing innocent Indians," Gandhi said.

Participating in the discussion on the Mumbai terror strikes in the Lok Sabha, he said that India will not stand around and tolerate people coming into her cities and killing ordinary Indians.

When the terrorists attacked Mumbai, they did not attack the young or the old, Hindus or Muslims, upper or lower castes but Indians, he said. "If our enemies view us as one, we have to act as one."

Gandhi said a "national priority and a national response" was needed to deal effectively with the "war" being waged against the country.

"We will fight this war against terror and win this war," he said lauding the unity shown by Parliament in response to the Mumbai attacks.

Gandhi's sister Priyanka Vadra watched the speech from the Speaker's Gallery, while his mother and Congress President Sonia Gandhi was present in the House.