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Congress leaders, including MS Aiyar and Siddaramaiah, made statements that drew criticism from the BJP.
Congress leaders Mani Shankar Aiyar (left), Rahul Gandhi (centre) and Siddaramaiah (right). (Image: PTI)
It’s been a week since the April 22 dastardly terror attack in Pahalgam in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed. While the wounds of the attack are still fresh, the politics over the attack is already making headlines, with the Congress failing to follow their MP Rahul Gandhi’s “we stand with the government” stand. When the Pahalgam attack happened last Tuesday, the Congress party’s response was measured and cautious unlike its reactions to the Pulwama terror attack.
Rahul Gandhi, in his first reaction to the Pahalgam attack on April 22, posted on X that the entire country stood united against terror. There were also reports that the Congress asked its leaders to be careful about how they react. However, that unity didn’t stay the same for too long. From Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi’s husband Robert Vadra to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, in six days after the Pahalgam attach, at least six different people from the party or linked to the party made statements that created a political stir.
What Robert Vadra Said
“That’s a message to the PM, because Muslims are feeling weakened,” said Vadra to reports that the terrorists asked tourists their religion before killing them. “In our country, we see that this government will talk about Hindutva, and the minorities feel uncomfortable and troubled…If you dissect this terrorist act that took place, if they (terrorists) are looking at people’s identity, why are they doing this? Because there’s a divide that has come about in our country with Hindus and Muslims…This will make these kinds of organisations feel that Hindus are making a problem for all the Muslims. Looking at identities and then killing somebody, that’s a message to the PM, because Muslims are feeling weakened. The minorities are feeling weakened…This has to be coming from the top that we feel secure and secular in our country and we will not see this kind of acts happening,” Vadra said.
BJP’s Amit Malviya was quick to respond. “Shocking! Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra shamelessly defends an act of terror, offering cover to the terrorists instead of condemning them. He doesn’t stop there, instead, shifts the blame onto India for the atrocities committed by Pakistani terrorists,” he wrote on X.
Vadra later asserted his statement was not understood in its complete context and that his intentions were misinterpreted. “I strongly condemn the terrorist attack that took place in Pahalgam, in which innocent lives were lost and families were shattered. I stand with India and will always stand with India. There is no justification — political, religious, or ideological — that can excuse violence against innocent and unarmed people,” he wrote in a Facebook post.
“I believe that terrorism in any form is not just an attack on individuals, but an assault on the very soul of humanity. It destroys the fundamental right of every human being to live a life free of fear. No reason, no argument can ever justify the act of spilling innocent blood,” Vadra added.
What Siddaramaiah Said
Then came Siddaramaiah who said that there was no need for war with Pakistan but India, instead, should beef up security in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 civilians were killed.
Questioned by reporters whether a war was inevitable, Siddaramaiah said: “See, security measures should have been in place there. It is a place where Yatris pass through. It is the place where 40 soldiers lost their lives during the Pulwama attack. They should be more alert. This is an intelligence failure, a security failure.”
“There is no need for war now. But strict measures must be taken. Security measures must be tightened. We are not for war. Peace must prevail, people should have security, the Centre must maintain security measures,” he added.
Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka assembly R Ashoka, taking to ‘X’, launched a scathing attack on Siddaramaiah. “It is the misfortune of Karnataka that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who has 40 years of vast political experience and has served as Chief Minister twice, lacks the basic sense of when and what to speak.”
He added: “Our country has a professional armed force. It is left to the responsibility, expertise, and experience of our military to determine what action needs to be taken in any situation. In this regard, your advice is unnecessary, and you do not have the qualifications to offer any. Thousands of illegal Bangladeshi, Rohingya, and Pakistani immigrants are roaming freely. First, identify them, deport them, and focus on ensuring the safety of Kannadigas. Do not unnecessarily interfere in matters that do not concern you.”
After the row over his remark, Siddaramaiah clarified saying, “I never said there should be no war with Pakistan, if a war is inevitable, it will happen,” said Siddaramaiah while clarifying his remark on the issue. “I just said that for now, there should be no war,” he added.
What Mani Shankar Aiyar Said
Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar too sparked another row, saying the Pahalgam attack reflected “unresolved questions of Partition”.
“Many people almost prevented partition, but it happened because there were differences in value systems and assessments of the nature of India’s nationhood and its civilisational inheritance between people like Gandhi and Pandit Nehru… and Jinnah and many other Muslims who did not agree with Jinnah,” Aiyar said.
“But the fact is, that Partition happened and till today, we are living with the consequences of that partition. Is this how we should be living? Are not the unresolved questions of partition reflected in the terrible tragedy that was enacted near Pahalgam on 22nd April?”
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla responded angrily to Aiyar’s remarks, saying Congress is working to give a clean chit to Pakistan and justifying acts of terrorism on Indian soil.
What Tariq Hameed Karra Said
Jammu and Kashmir Congress Chief Tariq Hameed Karra advocated for engaging in talks with Pakistan regarding the incident. “I request both sides to keep their cool… I represent the sentiments of hundreds of thousands of people,” he said.
“Some things should be sorted (out). Whatever has to be done has to be done across the table. Both countries should not be pushed to devastation any more,” he was seen saying in a video.
Karra later defended his remarks and argued that he had not said anything regrettable. “This is simply a misinterpretation of things. Whatever I said is a reiteration of our leader, Rahul Gandhi. We said that wars have always brought devastation to both countries. I did not say anything about dialogue,” he said.
What RB Timmapur and Vijay Wadettiwar Said
Maharashtra Congress MLA Vijay Wadettiwar questioned the legitimacy of the victims’ revelations of being targeted on religious lines. The Congress MLA’s remarks were in line with RB Timmapur, Karnataka’s Excise Minister’s statement, in which the latter said, “A man who is shooting, will he ask caste or religion? He will just shoot and go.”
“The government should take responsibility for the Pahalgam Terrorist Attack. They (the government) are saying that terrorists killed people after asking them (about their religion). Do terrorists have time for all this?… Some people say that this did not happen. Terrorists have no caste or religion. Catch those who are responsible and take action. This is the sentiment of the country,” he said.
After his remarks created outrage, the Congress leader said, “Originally, terrorists came and took lives, and no one asked about caste or religion. If religion was asked, it means their intention could be to destabilize the country, create division between communities and religions, and harm the country. When the terrorists in India asked people to recite the Kalma, it clearly reflects the political motives of Pakistan behind this. Terrorists have no caste, no religion. Watching this, we should not divide the country. Their objective is to destroy the country.”
What Santosh Lad Said
Santosh Lad sparked another controversy by questioning the Centre’s motive behind the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan after terrorists killed 26 people in Kashmir. “Shouldn’t Pakistanis have water, don’t they drink water,” Lad questioned, sparking the row.
BJP MP Tejasvi Surya hit back at the Karnataka Minister, stating that such statements “do not behove well for a person in such a position”. “Santosh Lad is a responsible Minister. He is in a responsible position. It does not behove well for him to make such irresponsible statements,” he said.
While the Congress struggles to keep its leaders from making controversial remarks over the Pahalgam terror attack, the BJP continues to attack the party over these errors. “Is anyone really surprised that Congress and Pakistan are speaking the same language,” BJP leader Amit Malviya posted on X.
The Congress, meanwhile, is in damage-control mode with Rahul Gandhi, writing a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking a special session of Parliament over the Pahalgam attack “where the representatives of people can show their unity and determination.”
Congress’s Post Picked Up By Pakistan
However, with the party’s social media post getting picked up by Pakistani leaders on Tuesday, trouble doesn’t seem to be ending for the Congress any time soon. Congress’s social media took a jibe at PM Modi, posting an image of a man in kurta pyjama, without a head and captioned it “invisible at the time of responsibility”.
Soon, Pakistan’s former minister Fawad Chaudhary picked up Congress’s post to poke fun at PM Modi.
