Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, on Tuesday said Home Minister Amit Shah must take responsibility for the “security lapse” which led to the Pahalgam terror attack, and demanded that accountability be fixed.
Kharge, the Congress president, was citing Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha’s statement while speaking during the special discussion on ‘Operation Sindoor’ in response to the Pahalgam terror attack in the Upper House.
The Congress leader attacked the government and mocked PM Narendra Modi’s unscheduled visit to Pakistan in 2015.
“Along with the entire country and this House, I condemn the barbaric attack (in Pahalgam) and the continuous support to terrorists by Pakistan. We had condemned Pakistan earlier too, we will condemn them today as well and if this continues tomorrow, we will continue to condemn them. But here, we condemn them and you attend their feast and hug them.”
Kharge was perhaps referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2015 visit to Lahore for a meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in a surprise visit to this country -the first visit to Pakistan by an Indian premier in more than 10 years.
Earlier, Union Home Minister Shah announced in Lok Sabha that all three Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists who were involved in the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 were neutralised duringOperation Mahadevon the outskirts of Srinagar on Monday.
Kharge said the prime minister should have been present at all-party meet instead of campaigning in Bihar, and questioned Modi’s sincerity towards national security.
Demanding accountability, the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha said the government should admit its ‘lapses’ and ‘failure’ in stopping terror attacks. He asked if Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor’s statement on security lapses was aimed at “saving” the home minister.
“Jammu Kashmir LG Manoj Sinha himself admitted that Pahalgam was a security lapse and what happened in Pahalgam was unfortunate, innocent people were brutally killed. (Sinha said) I take all responsibility for the incident. However the home minister must take responsibility for security lapse not the LG,” Kharge said.
The home minister must take responsibility for security lapse not the LG.
Twenty-six civilians were killed in the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, after which India retaliated through precision strikes under Operation Sindoor, targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addressed the Lok Sabha during the special discussion on ‘Operation Sindoor’, India’s military response to the Pahalgam terror attack, on Monday. Singh addressed the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. PM Modi is expected to speak in the Lok Sabha later in the day.