‘Pahalgam women lacked bravery, that's why 26 died with folded hands'—BJP MP Jangra sparks storm

The Print

24-05-2025

He claimed that if the tourists had been armed with even basic tools like sticks and had charged at the attackers, the casualties could have been limited to 'five or six', with the three terrorists potentially neutralised.
'The women who lost their husbands in the attack did not have the spirit and zeal of a brave warrior, which is why 26 people fell victim to bullets,' he said at the BJP government's Ahilyabai Holkar Tricentenary Memorial Campaign at Bhiwani's Panchayat Bhawan. 'The tourists were killed with folded hands. If they had taken training under the PM's scheme and confronted the attackers, so many deaths would not have occurred.'
Gurugram: The 26 tourists killed in the Pahalgam attack lacked the 'spirit of bravery' and died with 'folded hands', Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Rajya Sabha MP Ram Chander Jangra said Saturday, adding that proper training under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Agniveer scheme could have reduced the casualties.
Terrorists killed 26 people on 22 April in the Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam. The Indian Army retaliated on 7 May with airstrikes under Operation Sindoor, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
When contacted by The Print, Jangra stood by his statement, asserting it was made in a specific context. 'I was speaking at a function to celebrate the birth anniversary of Rani Ahilyabai. In that context, I said that had the women who lost their husbands been veeranganas (brave hearts) like Rani Ahilyabai Holkar or Rani Laxmi Bai, they would have confronted the terrorists and not stood before them with folded hands.'
He further said: 'In that context, I said that PM Narendra Modi launched the Agniveer scheme to provide military training to youths. Had there been some men and women with Agniveer training, the terrorists couldn't have killed such a large number of people.'
The Indian National Congress has strongly condemned Jangra's remarks, calling them 'utterly disgraceful' and a 'grave insult' to the women who lost their husbands in the attack.
In a statement posted on X, the Congress demanded accountability from the BJP, questioning whether the party endorsed Jangra's remarks and whether it would take action against him.
'BJP MP Ram Chander Jangra, a close ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has made utterly disgraceful remarks about the women who lost their husbands in the Pahalgam terror attack. He said, 'The women whose sindoor was snatched away lacked the spirit of a brave warrior. They had no zeal, no passion, no heart, and thus became victims of bullets with folded hands.' This statement is utterly deplorable and a grave insult to the women and sisters who lost their loved ones in the terror attack,' read the X post.
The party further said in its post that while the BJP talks about the sanctity of sindoor, its senior leader has insulted the sindoor of these women.
'We demand answers: Does the BJP endorse its MP's statement? Will the BJP take strict action against this shameful remark, or will it shield its MP? If no action is taken against the MP, this statement will be considered as endorsed by Narendra Modi himself,' the statement added.
Jagmati Sangwan, national vice-president of the All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA), also sharply criticised Jangra's remarks, describing them as 'insensitive and cruel, akin to rubbing salt on the wounds of families grieving the loss of their loved ones'.
In a scathing rebuke, she attributed the tragedy to the failures of the central government.
'The Pahalgam attack was a direct result of the gross negligence and incompetence of the Modi-led central government. Tourists were left without adequate security, and when the tragedy struck, no help arrived for nearly two hours to rescue the victims or rush them to hospitals,' Sangwan said.
'Instead of addressing these glaring security lapses, BJP MP Ram Chander Jangra has shamelessly chosen to blame the victims and their families, deflecting responsibility from the government's failures. His remarks are not only an insult to those who lost their lives but also a desperate attempt to cover up the BJP's inability to ensure the safety of its citizens,' she added.
'Does not reflect party's stance'
The BJP has distanced itself from Jangra's remarks, with Haryana BJP state spokesperson Sanjay Sharma clarifying that the MP's statement was made in his personal capacity and did not reflect the party's stance.
'People in public life ought to choose their words carefully while speaking on a public platform. Every person can't be an Agniveer. Also, the kind of weapons the terrorists carried could not have been handled empty-handed. Tragedies can happen to anyone. One should not speak insensitive words in such circumstances,' Sharma told The Print.
Ram Chander Jangra, 75, hails from Meham village in Haryana's Rohtak district and was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha in March 2020. He previously contested the 2014 Haryana assembly polls from Gohana, securing 24.23 percent of the votes but finishing third.
Jangra is considered close to former Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar. Unlike many senior BJP leaders, he lacks a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) background, having joined the BJP after the collapse of former CM Bansi Lal's Haryana Vikas Party government in 1996, where he was initially involved.
History of controversial statements
Jangra is no stranger to controversy, often drawing criticism for his remarks that have been deemed insensitive or inflammatory. His penchant for anecdotes, frequently at the expense of Haryanvis, has landed him in hot water multiple times.
In a parliamentary session, he shared a story about a Haryanvi tying a thief's feet and assuming the thief wouldn't escape because 'he's also from Haryana, such a thought that he can open the feet with his hands won't occur to him either'.
Such remarks have drawn criticism for perpetuating negative stereotypes about his own community.
During a Rajya Sabha session in 2021, Jangra recounted an anecdote about a hospital patient who felt better simply because a 'young, beautiful nurse' held his hand. He likened this to PM Modi's leadership, saying, 'Modi ji, keep holding our hand, then we will have no trouble.'
The Haryana Nursing Welfare Association had condemned the remarks as 'indecent and obscene,' lodging a complaint with the Haryana State Commission for Women.
Later, in a Facebook video, Jangra clarified that he viewed nurses as 'an embodiment of god' and apologised if anyone was hurt, but the association dismissed his response as inadequate.
Before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Jangra sparked outrage by commenting on the Congress manifesto, saying that if the Congress had used Muslim artisans' skills in weapon-making, India could have become a producer of AK-47 guns. The remark was widely criticised for its communal undertones.
During the 2021 farmers' agitation against the three farm laws, Jangra called the protesting farmers 'lazy, useless, and alcoholic'. His comments led to an alleged attack on his car by farmers in Hisar district.
He also claimed that 700 girls from the Singhu border and nearby villages in Haryana went missing during the protests, alleging that addicts from Punjab had spread a drug network. He later clarified that this was 'people's gossip' with no formal complaints, but the damage was done, fuelling further backlash.
At an event in Jhajjar, Jangra criticised women for wearing torn jeans, calling them 'Europe's garbage' and a 'symbol of poverty' rather than fashion. He argued that jeans were not part of traditional Indian attire and were sent to India as unwanted European goods.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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