Kharge Claims PM Received Intel Before Pahalgam Attack, Cancelled J&K Visit

Cancelled J&K Visit: The view of the BJP was that Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge's claim that the government had ignored intelligence regarding a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir was meant to "lower the morale" of the armed forces.

Mr Kharge claimed that the government had changed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's itinerary to Kashmir days before Pahalgam but neglected to provide for the security of tourists.

Mr Kharge described an allegedly admitted failure in intel before an all-party meeting late last month. "If they accepted that... they should take responsibility for lives lost," he said in Ranchi.

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With reference to the newspaper report, whose name he did not specify, Mr Kharge claimed there had been a government alert three days prior to the arrival of Lashkar terrorists in the Baisaran Valley.

"They cancelled the PM's visit but failed to make security arrangements for tourists. The area should have been secured with police and the BSF, or Border Security Force," he said.

Refuting this, the Congress spokesperson said to NDTV that the Congress had no evidence to prove this and added, "there is always an element of security lapse" before a terror attack.

Mr Sinha also stressed that the Kashmir visit had not been canceled on account of 'security threat'.

He even pointed out that the government had, post-Pahalgam attack-said to have been planned and supported by Pak deep state-accepted an intel failure.

"... the government accepted it in the all-party meeting. Whenever an incident like this takes place, whether the attack in Israel in October 2023 or 9/11 in United States or, for that matter, the assassination of Indira or Rajiv Gandhi, there is always an element of security lapse."

Security agencies need to have "hundred per cent success" to prevent attacks, while terrorists "need to succeed just once", insinuating that the odds will be in their favour one time or the other.

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"But for Mr Kharge to wake up at a time when we are preparing for unprecedented action (referring to an Indian military response) only shows he is not above petty politics," he said, referring also to comments by other Congress leaders, including the party's UP chief chief Ajay Rai.

"I think, you know, Mr Kharge should have shown greater maturity and not raked up something already discussed in the all-party meeting... and which has already been factored in."

Former Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also ripped into the Congress, accusing Mr Kharge of doublespeak. "On the one hand he claims to stand with the country... but then he tries to weaken it. His criticism of the Prime Minister over the Pahalgam terror attack is unfortunate."

The party had its spokesperson from Tamil Nadu, CR Kesavan, and its Jharkhand unit chief, Babulal Marandi, also making statements on the matter. Kesavan said that Kharge made "treacherous statements similar to a modern-day Mir Jafar," while Marandi mourned the attack on the Prime Minister.

"Mr Kharge's remarks are unpardonable, indefensible, and cannot be forgiven. Everybody demands an unconditional apology from him..." Mr Kesavan said, also calling on Congress MP Rahul Gandhi to break his "calculated silence" and "condemn these outrageous remarks".

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