The Congress on Tuesday maintained its assault on the Modi government with its president Mallikarjun Kharge referring to Operation Sindoor as a little war against Pakistan and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of having advance warnings on the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
In Karnataka, accompanied by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, to join the second anniversary celebrations of the Karnataka government at Hosapete, Kharge issued fire against the central government for failing to safeguard the lives of 26 innocent tourists.
Replying to the Samarpane Sankalpa Rally in Hosapete, Kharge asserted that the PM had been to Kashmir on April 17 but intelligence agencies had warned him against it and his visit had been clandestinely cancelled.
He alleged that he was questioning the PM if he had been aware of the intelligence and why he had not told the people. Had he done so, many innocent lives would have been saved, he alleged.
The Congress leader bemoaned that while India was fighting little wars with Pakistan, the neighboring nation was receiving de facto support from China.
The Congress president also took a jibe at Modi for campaigning in election rallies at such a time instead of attending all-party meetings.
“While 26 citizens were murdered, PM Modi was occupied with a rally in Bihar. Two all-party meetings were convened, and the Prime Minister did not attend either. If we had avoided those meetings, we would have been termed traitors. But when Modi avoids them, it’s termed patriotism. Why this hypocrisy?” Mallikarjun asked.
Even on the multi-party delegations to various other countries abroad to present India’s stand to the world, Kharge averred that the Congress did not politicize it and stood by the government.
“The Prime Minister said a delegation will be sent, but he didn’t consult us. However, we didn’t raise a voice — in the country’s interest. Our representatives are going to these countries now. We have more important things on our mind, like guarding the country, and not points of politics to achieve.”.
LoP, Rahul Gandhi, on the contrary, focused on the positives of the Karnataka government in the last two years and claimed that it had kept its promise of five guarantees. On Tuesday, the Karnataka government launched the conferment of land ownership rights to one lakh families in the state, one of the guarantees the party had promised during the poll campaign.
The Gandhi heir also attempted to create a contrast between Congress and BJP governments by stating that in the BJP system, if you are sick, you get overwhelmed with debt. In the Congress system, you have money in your pocket for a treatment.
He continued to appreciate the government for its schemes and programs in the fields of food, electricity, education, and especially brought up the issue of women’s free bus travel.
Political Consequences: Congress vs. BJP
The opposition has not been slow to put the heat on the Modi government. Indian National Congress, TMC, AAP, and other party leaders have been vocal in their response, calling for an inquiry into the suspected intelligence failure. Even the Congress party questioned if warnings before the attack were knowingly ignored or lost in red-tape delay.
The BJP, however, has reacted aggressively. Union Home Minister Amit Shah rejected the allegations, terming them “political opportunism” after a tragedy. He promised that perpetrators will be punished and the security machinery is doing all it needs to catch the culprits.
What the Government Must Do
If the Modi government wants to regain public trust, it needs to do a number of things:
Acknowledge and probe any failures immediately.
Publish a chronology of events, indicating when warnings were raised and what was done in response.
Streamline coordination between central and state security agencies.
Provide transparency into how terror-related intelligence is handled.
Boost surveillance and ground intelligence in vulnerable areas such as Kashmir.
The Pahalgam terror attack is not another unfortunate incident—it is a challenge to India’s political leadership and national security architecture. Mallikarjun Kharge’s strong attack on Prime Minister Modi can be politically motivated, but it has resonated with Indians who are fed up with the predictability of violence and then the post-mortems.
As the probe goes on, citizens wait for genuine answers and not political rhetoric. The question here is: Were the earlier warnings disregarded, or was the mechanism incapable of acting in time? In either case, accountability is the need of the hour.
May 19, 2025