'Govt should take accountability, concrete steps': Congress on Pahalgam terror attack
NEW DELHI: Congress on Tuesday strongly condemned the terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam, South Kashmir, further urging the government "to take responsibility and concrete steps."
"I express my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and hope for the speedy recovery of the injured. The whole country is united against terrorism," he said.
"Instead of making hollow claims of the situation being normal in Jammu and Kashmir, the government should now take accountability and take concrete steps so that such barbaric incidents do not happen in the future and innocent Indians do not lose their lives like this," he wrote in a post on X.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Complete protection with iPru All-in-one Term Plan
ICICI Pru Life Insurance Plan
Get Quote
Undo
These remarks came after terrorists attacked a popular tourist destination in Pahalgam, South Kashmir, on Tuesday, killing at least 26 people and injuring several others, according to PTI.
Among the deceased were two foreign nationals and two local residents, a senior official confirmed, without sharing further detail, reported PTI.
Congress President Mallikarjun
Kharge
also denounced these targeted attacks as contrary to human values, stating, "I strongly condemn the cowardly terror attack on innocent tourists in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir. The entire nation is united in fighting the scourge of
cross-border terrorism
."
"These dastardly targeted attacks are a blot on humanity. News reports indicate that precious lives have been lost. On behalf of the
Congress party
, my heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims," he continued.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured. India's National Security is paramount and we urge the GOI to take corrective measures to ensure the same," he added.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra characterised the attack as reprehensible and disgraceful.
"Targeting unarmed and innocent civilians is a crime against humanity. This is completely unacceptable. The whole country stands united against terrorism and strongly condemns it," she said in a post in Hindi on X.
"According to reports, many tourists have been killed in this attack. May God grant peace to the departed souls. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured," she added.
Congress general secretary KC Venugopal expressed distress about the incident stating, "Deeply terrified to hear the news of a terrorist attack on tourists in Pahalgam, J&K. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured and for peace and calm to be restored at the earliest."
The incident occurred at approximately 3 pm when armed individuals descended from the mountain in Baisaran valley in Pahalgam and opened fire on tourists in an area frequently referred to as "mini Switzerland" due to its verdant meadows.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
United News of India
31 minutes ago
- United News of India
Stadium stampede: Ktk Opposition Leader demands Special Assembly Session, Rs 1 Cr Compensation
Bengaluru, June 8 (UNI) Karnataka Opposition Leader R Ashok on Sunday demanded a special session of the Assembly to deliberate on the Chinnaswamy stadium stampede. Addressing a press conference here, Ashok said the House should also discuss the Congress-led government's failures that cost 11 lives ahead of IPL champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) victory celebrations on Wednesday. 'Three separate inquiries have been ordered – which one is genuine? We demand a judicial probe headed by a sitting High Court judge,' he insisted. Ashok also called for enhanced compensation for the victims' families. 'If the government is truly not at fault, it should give Rs 1 crore per family. As opposition leaders, we will contribute our one month's salary to the families,' he announced. Dismissing the justification for such a grand event, Ashok added, 'Winning a trophy is not new. Other states have won before. But no other CM has ever used such events for cheap publicity.' He accused the state government of flouting police instructions and thereby breaking the law, which led to the stampede. Ashok alleged that the tragedy could have been averted had Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar not been engrossed in a power tussle. 'Instead of mourning the loss of innocent students, they were chasing a trophy. The police had informed the government of a casualty by noon, and yet the programme went on even after eight children had died. This shows how stone-hearted the government is,' he charged. Ashok cited a letter dated June 4, from the Vidhana Soudha police to the Chief Secretary, warning that the programme was being hastily organised, with inadequate staff and serious security concerns. The letter had recommended cancelling the event, yet the government proceeded, he alleged. He further stated that police had clearly instructed against the participation of department staff and their families, but the directive was ignored. 'CCTV deployment was skipped, drones were flown despite prohibition, and the stage – which was to accommodate only 20–30 people – ended up hosting over 200, including 11 players,' he said. Ashok pointed out that while the event was officially listed as a government function, CM Siddaramaiah later disowned it, claiming it was not a government-organised event. 'This doublespeak is unacceptable,' he said. UNI BDN SSP
Hans India
31 minutes ago
- Hans India
Political temperatures rise as Maha CM pens retort to Rahul Gandhi's 'match-fixing' claims
A fierce political row has erupted after Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi alleged "match-fixing" in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, prompting a sharp response from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who accused the Congress leader of misleading the public after his electoral defeat. Fadnavis, in an article in a Marathi daily, rebuked Gandhi's allegations, saying: "The one whom the public rejects, rejects the mandate." A day after pledging to respond to Gandhi's "article with an article", the Chief Minister stated, "If you cannot convince people, then confuse them -- this is Rahul Gandhi's policy." The Congress leader wrote an op-ed in a national daily in which he questioned the conduct of the Maharashtra elections and accused the Election Commission of dereliction of duty. The Congress and its allies have accused the Election Commission of opaque functioning and raised questions about unexplained spikes in voter turnout. Congress's Maharashtra leader Nana Patole alleged that 46 lakh additional votes were added to the voter count and questioned the legitimacy of votes counted after 5 p.m. "The Election Commission has denied access to CCTV footage and failed to provide clarity. They have participated in murdering the democratic process," Patole said, adding that the party has moved the Supreme Court seeking redress. State Congress President Harshwardhan Sapkal, speaking to IANS, said: "Why is CM Fadnavis responding when the questions are for the Election Commission? Rahul Gandhi has raised facts that deserve judicial scrutiny." Voicing similar concerns, Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe challenged the official explanation, stating, "We questioned how 67 lakh votes were added post 5 p.m. The official reply said 16 lakh. If so many votes were cast after hours, who verified them and how?" Londhe also questioned changes to the constitutional mechanism, pointing to the exclusion of the Chief Justice from the Election Commission selection panel, replaced instead by the Union Home Minister. "This overshadows the voice of the Leader of Opposition," he said. NCP-SP MP Supriya Sule said Gandhi's article stemmed from frustration at being ignored by the EC despite repeatedly raising concerns. "After Rahul Gandhi wrote an article, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis also wrote a long piece in the newspaper. In an empowered democracy, everyone has the right to express their opinion. What Rahul Gandhi wrote was because he hasn't received replies from the Election Commission for all the letters he has written so far," Sule told reporters. BJP MLA Ram Kadam defended the EC and the state government, stating that Fadnavis had presented detailed electoral data from 2009 to 2024 showing consistent increases in vote share and voter registration. "Rahul Gandhi's objections are based on incomplete knowledge. If he has proof, let him share it with the nation. But don't mislead people every time you lose. That is immature," Kadam said. JD-U leader K.C. Tyagi also weighed in, urging Gandhi to formally approach the Election Commission. "Instead of writing articles, he should meet the EC with his team and get his queries addressed," he said. In the elections held on November 20, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance -- comprising Congress, the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP, and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena -- won just 46 out of 288 seats. In contrast, the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance swept 235 seats, with the BJP alone securing 132 -- its highest-ever tally in the state.
The Hindu
33 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Constitutional bodies ‘hijacked' under Modi Government, alleges Tejashwi Yadav
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday (June 8, 2025) charged the Narendra Modi government with 'hijacking' constitutional bodies such as the Election Commission and alleged that the ruling BJP becomes aware of poll schedules even before the dates are announced. The former deputy Chief Minister also claimed that the last state Assembly polls held in 2020 were not held fairly and backed doubts raised by Rahul Gandhi of alliance partner Congress over Maharashtra elections. 'One cannot deny the fact that all constitutional bodies have been hijacked ever since the Narendra Modi-led NDA came to power in 2014 at the Centre. It's quite surprising that BJP's IT Cell comes to know the dates of elections before the ECI announces them. We are keeping an eye on the developments,' Mr. Yadav told reporters in Patna. Constitutional institutions need to function independently, he said wondering how people would expect justice if they were influenced. 'People know what happened in the 2020 assembly polls in the State. We were supposed to form the government. The ECI did three press conferences to justify why counting was stopped in the evening. But why did it resume at night? Those Mahagathbandhan candidates who were declared winners were later announced as losers,' the RJD leader said. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi recently alleged rigging in the 2024 Maharashtra election, which was won by a BJP-led alliance. In an article, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha had alleged 'match-fixing' in the Maharashtra polls and claimed that it would next happen in the Bihar elections and 'anywhere the BJP is losing'. The EC rejected the allegation.
