OPPOSITION CORNERS GOVT ON PAHALGAM AND OPERATION SINDOOR
New Delhi; A united opposition for two days on Monday and Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the Modi government first in the Lok Sabha and then in the Rajya Sabha , accusing it of complete failure in preventing the recent terror attack on pilgrims in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
The opposition’s coordinated offensive, led by Congress, Samajwadi Party, DMK and Trinamool Congress, questioned the Centre’s security preparedness, intelligence infrastructure, and accountability in the wake of repeated terror incidents in the Kashmir Valley.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra took the floor with a sharp critique, saying that “leadership is not just about credit-hunting during good times but also about owning responsibility when things go wrong.”
She pointedly questioned Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the spate of terror attacks in Kashmir, asking, “Why have there been over 25 major terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir in the last few years under your watch? Who is accountable for these recurring failures?”
Priyanka further demanded to know why no resignations had followed the repeated security and intelligence lapses. “When pilgrims, soldiers, and civilians die in such cowardly attacks, why is the government silent? Why is there no sense of accountability?” she asked.
She also highlighted the failure of the Modi government in diplomatically isolating Pakistan, citing how former U.S. President Donald Trump invited a Pakistani Army General to the White House. “While we claim to have given strong replies to Pakistan, their military leadership was dining at the highest tables of international diplomacy,” she said.
Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav mounted his own broadside, accusing the government of politicizing ongoing military operations like Operation Mahadev instead of focusing on results. He demanded clarity on the objectives and outcomes of these high-profile anti-terror efforts.
“The government cannot hide behind the rhetoric of nationalism while failing to secure its own people. How much territory has China occupied in the last 11 years? Tell the country the truth,” he said, linking internal security failures with broader questions about the Modi government’s strategic posture.
Yadav also demanded that the Centre reveal details of the Pahalgam attackers and whether there were any actionable intelligence warnings that were ignored. “People deserve to know who killed the innocent tourists. “If our intelligence systems were alert, how did this happen?” he asked.
DMK MPs Kanimozhi and A. Raja added their voices to the chorus, specifically targeting the government’s lack of transparency around Operation Sindoor, a parallel security operation also underway in the Jammu region. Kanimozhi criticized the government’s “information blackout” and alleged that local populations were being left in fear without clear communication from security agencies.
“The Modi government believes in high-voltage propaganda but goes silent when it comes to hard answers. The people of Kashmir, and indeed the whole nation, need to know what exactly is being done in their name,” she said.
TMC’s Sayani Ghosh also joined the attack, accusing the Centre of treating Kashmir as a mere “political battlefield.” She said the government had failed to show empathy and resolve in the wake of the Pahalgam tragedy. “We are a democracy, not a propaganda machine. This government must be reminded that governance means protection of life and liberty,” she declared.
The opposition’s onslaught comes amid mounting public anger and grief over the Pahalgam attack, which left several tourists dead and many others injured. The incident has triggered a renewed debate on the effectiveness of the government’s Kashmir policy and whether intelligence and coordination between agencies are robust enough to prevent such tragedies.
While the government is expected to respond to the opposition’s charges later in the session, Monday’s debate marked a rare moment of convergence among key opposition leaders, united in questioning not just the government’s competence but its very commitment to public accountability.
