Ranchi: Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge boldly asserted on Tuesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi cancelled a planned Kashmir visit three days before the deadly Pahalgam attack. On April 22nd, 26 people, mostly tourists, lost their lives in the violence. Kharge spoke at the ‘Save the Constitution’ rally in Ranchi.
Kharge contended that Modi received an intelligence briefing warning of a potential assault. According to Kharge, this report prompted Modi to scrap his scheduled April 19th trip. “Why wasn’t more done to safeguard visitors?? Kharge questioned. He noted that in an all-party meeting on April 24th, the Centre admitted “an intelligence failure”.
The opposition figure pressed for accountability. He contended that the threat warranted the reinforcement of security in Pahalgam. “If Modi knew, why weren’t law enforcement and the military placed on higher alert?” he probed. Kharge cited a newspaper account backing his claim but did not name the source.
In response, the BJP lashed out fiercely. It called Kharge’s remarks “treacherous.”. BJP leader CR Kesavan likened him to “a modern-day Mir Jafar”. The Jharkhand BJP chief, Babulal Marandi, said the comments aimed to “undermine the morale of our protection forces.” The party insisted Modi’s trip was cancelled due to poor weather conditions, not intelligence.
Kharge reaffirmed Congress’s support for action against Pakistan. “The nation comes before all else,” he affirmed. He urged the government to hold Pakistan responsible for the attack. The Pahalgam massacre, which has Lashkar-e-Taiba links, has exacerbated India-Pakistan tensions.