The Opposition on Wednesday by and large rallied behind the government in demanding a befitting response to the Pahalgam attack, opting to hold back their criticism of the Modi dispensation for alleged intelligence failure for now.
The Trinamool Congress and the Shiv Sena (UBT), however, demanded the resignation of Union home minister Amit Shah.
After the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sbaha, Rahul Gandhi, took a swipe at the government for its “tall claims” of normality in Kashmir on Tuesday in the immediate aftermath of the terror strike, the Congress central leadership made it clear that “it is committed to coordination and cooperation with the government to eliminate terrorism from its roots”.
Speaking to the media in Bengaluru, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said: “This is a direct attack on the Indian State. The entire nation is in shock. A Pakistani terrorist organisation has claimed responsibility. We must give a befitting response. We are all one and we will fight.”
While extending support to the government, the Congress said it expected the Centre to hold discussions with all political parties to address the challenge of terrorism through consensus-building.
“An all-party meeting should be convened to gather valuable insights. The situation demands unity, not politics,” Kharge added. Other parties, including the NCP (Sharad Pawar) and the AAP, echoed the demand for an all-party meeting.
Trinamool, however, held Shah directly responsible for the “colossal and unforgivable security failure”. Rajya Sabha member Saket Gokhale accused the BJP of politicising the attack and using it to
incite communal hate. Sanjay Raut of the Shiv Sena (UBT) also demanded Shah’s resignation, alleging that the home minister was preoccupied with making and breaking governments and eliminating the Opposition.
AAP’s Sanjay Singh said the Pahalgam attack had exposed the hollowness of the Modi government’s repeated claim that “all is well” in Kashmir. He also sought to link the terror strike to the changes made by the Modi government in the recruitment of soldiers, thereby weakening the security framework.
The RJD and the CPM also demanded firm action. “The police and security forces are under the central government. The central government must leave no stone
unturned in bringing the
forces responsible for the dastardly attack to justice...,” the CPM said.
Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav was of the view that the Modi government cannot escape responsibility for the loss of so many lives, given that it was running Jammu and Kashmir as per its whims.