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The controversy over ‘gayab’ poster got murkier when BJP held a press conference and elaborated on the “sar tan se juda ideology of Lashkar-e-Pakistan (Congress)”.
BJP leader Gaurav Bhatia held a press conference on Tuesday and lashed out at Congress’ ‘gayab’ poster targeting PM Modi.
The Congress’ gayab or missing poster aimed to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Pahalgam terror attack backfired hours after the party released it on its social media handles on Tuesday. From former Pakistani minister’s reaction raising eyebrows to drawing parallel to calls of ‘sar tan se juda‘ during Nupur Sharma’s controversy — the Congress post drew sharp reaction. Leaders said that at a time when all need to be united on stand of Pahalgam terror attack, the Congress is being “influenced by Pakistan”.
In the immediate aftermath of the strike, the Opposition’s response has been measured. The political parties have been walking the fine line of offering unconditional backing to the government in whatever action it took against the perpetrators and their handlers — even as they subtly flagged intelligence and security lapses.
ALSO READ: Rahul Gandhi Said ‘Support Centre On Pahalgam Response’, But Is Anyone In Congress Listening?
The Congress leaders, however, have been giving statements that forced the grand old party to issue a gag order.
ALSO READ: Congress’ MS Aiyar Sparks Row, Says Pahalgam Attack Reflects ‘Unresolved Questions Of Partition’
While BJP leaders had been lashing out at Congress since morning, a reaction from the central government came when Chirag Paswan reacted.
Paswan, Union Minister of Food Processing Industries, said, “This is wrong. This is a very sensitive issue and it is the responsibility of the opposition to understand the sensitivity of the issue. It is the need of the hour to show seriousness, as shown by J&K CM Omar Abdullah in the Assembly. If parties like the Congress do politics on it, this is not good.”
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah, delivering his first speech in the House since the attack, said, “For the first time in many years, I witnessed protests that were truly unified. No political party or leader orchestrated them, and no organised banners or candlelight marches were planned. The outrage and grief were spontaneous, coming straight from the hearts of the people. Every mosque observed silence.”
Abdullah admitted he failed in his duty to ensure the safe return of tourists and acknowledged feeling helpless. The Assembly unanimously passed a resolution condemning the incident and pledging to thwart the designs of terrorists.
ALSO READ: PM Modi Is Not ‘Gayab’, He Is Planning To Avenge Pahalgam
The BJP held a press conference later in the day, with party leader Gaurav Bhatia elaborating on the “sar tan se juda” ideology of “Lashkar-e-Pakistan (Congress)”.
“There is a national political party that stays among us, but if we call them Lashkar-e-Pakistan Congress, it won’t be wrong. This image of PM Narendra Modi has been tweeted by the social media handle of Congress. A strong message has been given to Pakistan that in India, the supporters of Mir Jafar are present here…’Sar tan se juda’ has become the ideology of Lashkar-e-Pakistan Congress today…Such posts are done on the instructions of Rahul Gandhi, which makes the country ashamed. It is an attempt of Lashkar-e-Pakistan Congress to weaken India at such a sensitive time,” he said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s official X handle also recalled the ‘san tan se juda’ imagery, and dubbed Congress ‘Muslim League 2.0’. “Terror will be met with bullets, not biryani. This is the era of decisive leadership,” the BJP said.
The Congress now seems to be following its plan of 2016 and 2019. In the wake of 2016’s Pathankot and Uri attacks, and the Pulwama attack in 2019, the Congress had aggressively targeted the government, talking about failures, and argued that ministers concerned could not shrug off responsibility and accountability.
