Sunday, 25 May 2025
Sunday, 25 May 2025
BJP Rajya Sabha MP Ram Chander Jangra has triggered a political storm by suggesting that the widows of the Pahalgam terror attack should have resisted the assailants instead of appealing for their husbands' lives.
"They (women tourists) should have fought. I believe they should have fought. This would have resulted in lesser casualty,” Jangra said while speaking at an event in Bhiwani held to mark Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Jayanti. He also claimed that the number of casualties would have been low had the tourists undergone Agniveer training and the ladies "lacked" the spirit of warrior women.
This comes days after the BJP leader and Madhya Pradesh minister Vijay Shah faced backlash and was forced to apologise for his derogatory remarks about Army Colonel Sofiya Qureshi.
Jangra isn't new to criticism.
In December last year, he drew criticism for reportedly labeling farmers as "drug peddlers" and "butchers." During a speech at the opening of the cane-crushing season at Meham mill in Rohtak district on Thursday, he claimed that drug traffickers from Punjab had introduced drug problems in Haryana amid the 2021 farmers' protest at the Haryana-Delhi border. Jangra also accused the protesters of being responsible for the disappearance of nearly 700 girls from villages near the Haryana-Delhi border during and after the agitation.
Outrage over Pahalgam comment
His recent remarks on Pahalgam terror attack victims have sparked widespread outrage for insensitivity toward the victims of terrorism. The Congress objected strongly to Jangra's remarks. The prime minister and the BJP leadership's silence should be seen as a "tacit approval" of Jangra's statement, said the opposition party. Its chief Mallikarjun Kharge claimed BJP leaders were competing with each other to malign the Pahalgam victims and the armed forces.
Jangra's comments are being seen by the Congress as the latest in a series of deplorable remarks made recently by BJP leaders -- Madhya Pradesh minister Vijay Shah and the state's deputy chief minister Jagdish Devda.
While the Congress claimed that Devda had said the entire Indian Army and brave soldiers were bowing at the feet of Modi, Shah had to apologise after his remarks linking the religion of terrorists behind the Pahalgam strike with that of Col Sofiya Qureshi triggered an outrage. Chiding the BJP in a post in Hindi on X, Kharge said, "BJP Rajya Sabha MP Ram Chander Jangra's shameful statement has once again exposed the petty mentality of RSS-BJP." "MP Deputy chief minister Jagdish Devda insulted our brave army, but PM Modi did not take any action. MP Minister Vijay Shah made lewd comments on our brave colonel, but has not been sacked to date," he said.
Echoing the party chief's sentiments, Jairam Ramesh alleged that BJP leaders were constantly insulting the Indian Army and the martyrs, "which exposes their petty and lowly mindset".
"This shameful statement of Jangra shows that the BJP, intoxicated with power, has become so insensitive that instead of blaming the security lapse... in Pahalgam... BJP MPs are questioning the martyrs and their wives," Ramesh said in a post on X.
"Why should the silence of Prime Minister Modi and the BJP leadership not be considered a tacit approval of these statements? Our clear demand is Prime Minister Modi should apologize for this shameful statement and expel MP Ram Chander Jangra from the party," Ramesh added.
Niranjan Patnaik, former President of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee, also took to social media to denounce the insensitive comments and demand accountability.
"BJP leaders shamelessly continue to insult those who lost their lives in the Pahalgam terror attack — and their grieving families. Now, Haryana BJP MP Ram Chander Jangra has crossed all limits. He has not only disrespected the martyrs but also blamed their widows for the tragedy. He claimed that the women lacked “courage,” and that’s why 26 lives were lost," he wrote in X.
"It is shameful, there is a race among BJP leaders to insult the armed forces, and the innocent victims of Pahalgam attack. First Vijay Shah talked ill about Col Sofiya Qureshi, HC, SC scolded, FIR was registered. But he remains as the Minister, BJP has not taken action. Now this leader from Haryana has insulted the victims' families... It is very shameful," Congress leader Imran Pratapgarhi said.
When questioned about BJP leader Ram Chander Jangra’s controversial comments regarding the families of Pahalgam attack victims, Congress leader Alka Lamba expressed strong condemnation, calling the remarks shameful and upsetting.
"It is very shameful, saddening. He called the wives of victims as cowards... MP Minister Vijay Shah could have been removed, but it has not happened. The Deputy CM Jagdish Devda said the armed forces should have bowed down to PM Modi, this is an insult. The BJP is not taking action... Morality has gone. We will fight," she said.
When questioned about BJP leader Ram Chander Jangra's controversial comment regarding the families of Pahalgam attack victims, Union minister Annapurna Devi responded by highlighting the significant role of women in India, stating that women have always been revered and have made strong contributions across various fields, including the armed forces.
Netizens also condemned Ram Chander Jangra’s remarks, calling them insensitive and disrespectful to the victims and their families. One user wrote in X, "SHAMELESSNESS is the only qualification to be in this party."
"Why have Modi-Shah failed to expel this BJP MP?" another user asked. A netizen called Jangra's remarks "disgraceful, inhuman, unforgivable." "MP Ram Chander Jangra has crossed every limit of insensitivity and shamelessness," he wrote on X.
