Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday (July 29, 2025) asked the government in Lok Sabha to fix responsibility for the “intelligence failure” that led to the Pahalgam terror attack, saying it cannot get away after such incidents by merely admitting to a lapse.
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Participating in the debate on Operation Sindoor in the Lower House, Mr. Yadav raised questions on India ending the conflict with Pakistan abruptly and asked, “Under whose pressure was the ceasefire done?”
The former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister also claimed that India’s foreign policy has “completely collapsed” and called China a “monster” that will “gobble up our land and market”.
“Who will take responsibility for the intelligence lapse in the Pahalgam attack?” Mr. Yadav said, adding the tragic incident should never have happened.
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The “lapse” has cost precious lives and exposed vulnerabilities in the country’s border strategy, he said.
“The launch of Operation Sindoor post Pahalgam attack is itself a symbol of the government’s failure,” he said.
Mr. Yadav claimed the country was isolated globally on key issues. “During Operation Sindoor, no country stood by us. This is a dark phase for India’s foreign diplomacy,” he said.
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Mr. Yadav also questioned the government’s handling of relations with neighbouring countries.
“Our neighbouring nations are either attacking us or not supporting us. China is increasingly aggressive and poses as much of a threat as terrorism from Pakistan,” he said.
He warned that China would not only snatch India’s territory but also dominate its market. “Our threat is not from Pakistan. The bigger threat is China, which is capturing both our land and our economy,” Mr. Yadav asserted.
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He alleged that the government’s policies were inadvertently helping China’s commercial interests while undermining India’s sovereignty.
On the halting of military action against Pakistan, the SP chief said, “We had hoped that the government would take the lead in ceasefire negotiations, but it seems they asked their friends to make the announcement instead. Why did the government agree to a ceasefire through a third party? What pressure were they under?”
He said the situation in Pahalgam proved that negligence could cost lives.
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“Tourists who visited the area went there trusting the government’s assurance of safety post Article 370 abrogation. But the government failed them,” he added.
Mr. Yadav also asked, “What concrete steps is the government taking to ensure there is no repeat of Pahalgam, Pulwama and similar incidents? If this was an intelligence failure, who is accountable? This is not the first time.”
“The biggest question is who is responsible for the intelligence failure… I hope that the government will respond,” he said, adding, “you cannot just say every time that there was a lapse”.
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Referring to the treatment of victims’ families, Mr. Yadav said, “It is shameful how the wives of the victims were treated. We approached the National Commission for Women for a probe, but no action was taken.”
Mr. Yadav accused the BJP of politicising the issue. He also questioned the timing of the encounter in which the terrorists involved in the Pahalgam terror attack were killed. The SP chief criticised the government’s response to the Galwan standoff in eastern Ladakh. “Even today, the situation has not returned to what it was before Galwan. And yet, we see all engines of this government united when it comes to covering up the truth,” he alleged.
Criticising the Agnipath recruitment scheme, Mr. Yadav said, “We expect the government to withdraw the Agniveer scheme. The people posted at the borders need long-term security and commitment.”
Published – July 29, 2025 05:05 pm IST