In a fiery address to the Rajya Sabha, Congress President and Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for skipping the all-party meeting convened amid the Parliament debate on the Pahalgam terror attack. “While we attended the (all-party) meeting, you (PM Modi) were in Bihar doing a political rally. You should be here, in either of the Houses, while the discussion is underway. If you do not have the courage to listen, you do not deserve to be in that position,” Kharge remarked in the Upper House.
#WATCH | Discussion on Operation Sindoor | Rajya Sabha LoP Mallikarjun Kharge says, “Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi and I had written to the Prime Minister and demanded a special session (of Parliament), but there was no response to the letter…Our letters are dumped in waste box.… pic.twitter.com/twnztIaPQZ
— ANI (@ANI) July 29, 2025
Kharge also condemned Pakistan for its continued support to terrorism, referencing the recent deadly attack in Pahalgam. “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.”
Taking a direct swipe at PM Modi, he added, “You have a habit of going places uninvited. None of the members present in this House went there. But over there, a friend, a Guru, or perhaps a Vishwaguru showed up… We have a long and proud history, my party does. The contribution we have made in building this nation is unmatched. All you have done is set up a factory of lies.”
Discussion on Operation Sindoor | Rajya Sabha LoP Mallikarjun Kharge says, “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… pic.twitter.com/2NBVVxg7Oa
— ANI (@ANI) July 29, 2025
The remark is in reference to PM Modi’s surprise Lahore visit in 2021 to meet then-Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif. “Looking forward to meeting PM Nawaz Sharif in Lahore today afternoon, where I will drop by on my way back to Delhi,” the PM said in a tweet, shortly after he announced that he had spoken to PM Nawaz Sharif to wish him for his birthday.
“Mehndi-Adorned Hands Lifted Corpses”: Kharge Paints Grief-Stricken Picture
The Congress leader offered a moving tribute to the victims of the Pahalgam tragedy. “Mehndi wale haathon ne pati ki laash uthai hai, bebas rote bachon ne papa ki jaan gavayi hai, aansuon bhari lachar khadi bebas naari ko dekha hai, Pahalgam ghaati mein humne apno ko marte dekha hai (Hands adorned with mehndi have lifted the bodies of their husbands… helpless, crying children have lost their fathers… we have seen tearful women standing in grief… in the Pahalgam valley, we have witnessed our loved ones dying before our eyes).”
Kharge said that while Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had made lengthy speeches in both Houses, his words did not address the fundamental questions. “I heard the speech of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for an hour and five minutes. We also heard him for an hour yesterday in the Lok Sabha. But he is repeating the same things he said yesterday… I offer my condolences to those who lost their lives in the Pahalgam terror attack.”
Kharge Targets Govt Over ‘Cancelled’ Modi Visit To Kashmir: ‘It’s Acceptable If Others Lose Their Lives?’
The Congress President continued to question the Modi government’s commitment to security, saying, “Home Minister Amit Shah visited Kashmir on the 7th and 8th of April and claimed that under Modi Ji’s leadership, the anti-terror ecosystem has tripled. If that’s the case, then how did those people manage to enter Pahalgam?”
Kharge also raised suspicions about the Prime Minister’s cancelled Kashmir visit just days before the attack. “Prime Minister Modi had cancelled his schedule twice. I had previously asked about this in writing, but to this day I have not received any response. Prime Minister Narendra Modi cancelled his Kashmir visit three days before the attack. Did the government have prior knowledge of a possible attack? You allowed tourists to visit the area, yet the Home Minister whispers in ears saying, ‘Don’t go to Kashmir, the situation isn’t good.’ Is this your idea of patriotism, that to save yourself, it’s acceptable if others lose their lives?”
He demanded accountability from the Union Home Minister saying, “LG Manoj Sinha accepted that Pahalgam attack, which claimed the lives of 26 innocent civilians, was a security lapse. The Home Minister, Amit Shah, must take responsibility for it.”
Shah Accuses Congress Of Shielding Pakistan, Blames Nehru For PoK And UNSC
Responding in the Lok Sabha, Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a counterattack, accusing the Congress of shielding Pakistan. Referring to remarks made by Congress leader P Chidambaram in a media interview, Shah said, “If Chidambaram says these were not Pakistanis, then it means that the former home minister of the country is giving clean chit to Pakistan in front of the world.” Chidambaram had earlier questioned the assumption that the terrorists involved were from Pakistan, asking, “Have they (NIA) identified the terrorists or where they came from? For all we know, they could be homegrown terrorists. Why do you assume they came from Pakistan? There is no evidence of that.”
Shah claimed that three Pakistan-origin terrorists behind the April 22 Pahalgam attack had been killed, and accused the Congress of raising doubts. “The whole world… has accepted Pakistan’s role in the attack but Chidambaram is creating doubts. Had he asked me I would have given him proof,” he said.
Further, Shah criticised former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for allegedly compromising India’s interests. “Pakistan is Congress’ mistake. If they had not accepted partition, there would have been no Pakistan today,” Shah said in the House, as reported by ANI. He also blamed Nehru’s leadership for India not being a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), saying, “Today, China is in the UN Security Council, and India is not… Jawaharlal Nehru’s stand is responsible for this.”
Shah also took aim at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, stating, “When our jawans were facing Chinese soldiers in Doklam, Rahul Gandhi was holding a meeting with the Chinese ambassador. This love for China has passed down three generations from Jawaharlal Nehru, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi.”
He also asserted that Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) continues to exist due to decisions made by Nehru and later Congress governments. “In 1960, they gave 80 per cent of the Indus waters to Pakistan… In 1971, during the Simla Agreement, they forgot about PoK,” Shah said.
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