The Trinamool’s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, Sagarika Ghose, held Amit Shah responsible for “the situation in Kashmir is normal line” and fired off five questions for the Union home minister a day after terrorists killed at least 26 people, mostly tourists, in Pahalgam’s Baisaran valley. .
“Will Amit Shah answer as to how he can repeatedly claim that the situation on Kashmir is normal? He is the one who has repeatedly pushed the ‘situation in Kashmir is normal’ line. How has he repeatedly claimed that the situation in Kashmir is normal when so many innocent lives have been massacred,” Ghose asked in a video shared on her X handle.
She also shared images of Shah walking the red carpet on arrival in Srinagar. “It is time for accountability. No red carpet. We want answers,” she wrote.
Ghose said since the terror attack happened under Shah’s watch he is the one who should provide the answers.
The journalist-turned-politician asked how an intelligence failure of this magnitude could happen in Kashmir Valley.
She asked: “Will he answer as to what have been the coordination mechanisms between the Home ministry and the local security agencies on the ground in Kashmir? Will he answer as to how he has repeatedly claimed that cross-border terrorism has been eliminated? That cross-border terrorism no longer exists when this kind of attack has taken place in Pahalgam?”
On March 25 this year, the Union home minister wrote on his X handle: “Separatism has become history in Kashmir. The unifying policies of the Modi government have tossed separatism out of J & K. Two organisations associated with the Hurriyat have announced the severing of all ties with separatism.”
Releasing a book on Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh in January this year, Shah sought credit for the abrogation of Article 370 and claimed it had reduced terror attacks.
According to a release from the Press Information Bureau on January 2, Shah had said since the abrogation of Article 370 there has been a reduction of over 70 per cent in terrorist incidents in Kashmir, as he rolled out a number of achievements for the state since the law was abrogated in 2019.
The Trinamool leader begged to differ.
“Will he admit that he has been far too involved in political management, in election management, rather than in dealing with the real issues that the Home ministry needs to be concerned about? Namely keeping the people of India safe? Will he admit he is too busy politicking rather than taking care of the Home ministry?” asked Ghose.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut too held the BJP’s “politics of hate” responsible for the Kashmir terror attacks, saying: “If terrorists ask for religion before killing people, then BJP’s politics of hate is responsible for it.”
On Tuesday night, Raut had on his X handle demanded the resignation of Shah. “Resign. The entire time is spent in making and toppling of government. The mind is busy 365 days to annihilate political rivals. People’s safety is left to the gods. Now even lord Rama is tired of these people. Do a favour to the country, resign.”
AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi was the first to refer to intelligence failure in the Pahalgam attack.
“The terrorists indiscriminately killed innocent people after asking their religion in Pahalgam. We strongly condemn this. We expect the government would take strict action. Another important thing is that this is also an intelligence failure,” Owaisi said.
Most of the Opposition parties including the Congress assured the Narendra Modi government of cooperation in the battle against terrorism.
“This is not a time for partisan politics. It is a moment for collective resolve to ensure justice for those who lost their lives and for their grieving families, by bringing the perpetrators of this terror attack to justice,” Kharge said addressing a news conference in Bengaluru.
Kharge is returning to Delhi to attend a Congress Working Committee meeting to discuss the Kashmir terror attack.
He urged the government to convene an all-party meeting, saying that Pahalgam was a direct attack on the Indian State.