Pahalgam Attack, Pegasus, Foreign Policy, Trump: Here's What TMC's Abhishek Banerjee Said At Oppn Meet

News18

a day ago

The TMC lawmaker emerged as a prominent voice at the meeting, suggesting several sharp-edged questions for the opposition to collectively raise against the Centre
Ahead of the crucial monsoon session of Parliament set to commence on July 21, the opposition INDIA bloc convened a meeting on Saturday to finalise a joint strategy to corner the government. During the deliberations, Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee emerged as a prominent voice, suggesting several sharp-edged questions for the opposition to collectively raise against the Centre.
Sources privy to the discussions revealed that Banerjee emphasised the need to interrogate the government extensively on the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. He reportedly pressed for accountability regarding what he termed a clear 'intelligence failure" in preventing the dastardly incident. A key point of his proposed parliamentary query was to demand an explanation for the extension of the Intelligence Bureau chief's tenure despite this perceived lapse in national security.
Banerjee also turned the spotlight on the controversial Pegasus spyware issue. He critically questioned the priorities of its usage, reportedly asking, 'When Pegasus could have been used to curb terrorism, why was it used against the opposition instead?" This line of questioning aims to highlight alleged surveillance abuses and push for transparency on the deployment of such sophisticated technologies.
Furthermore, the TMC leader expressed concerns over the utility and transparency of the government's extensive foreign delegation visits. He urged the INDIA bloc to collectively challenge the government on what tangible benefits the nation derived from dispatching numerous delegations abroad, particularly when the public back home was allegedly not adequately briefed about their purpose or concrete outcomes.
Sources said Banerjee raised concerns over the ongoing Bihar SIR voter list review, which he alleged is being used by the BJP and the Election Commission as a 'backdoor NRC" to exclude genuine voters. He also alleged that the BJP uses 'E square (E²)" as its attack tool—ED against opposition leaders and EC against voters.
Adding a touch of pointed sarcasm, the TMC leader reportedly remarked on a peculiar situation, indicating that Indian citizens felt compelled to follow President Donald Trump's social media accounts for updates on sensitive issues, including diplomatic developments involving India. 'This too should be raised in Parliament," he asserted, implying a communication gap from the Indian government. These proposed interventions by Abhishek Banerjee signal the INDIA bloc's intent to launch a frontal assault on the government's handling of national security, governance transparency, and foreign policy during the upcoming monsoon session.
view comments
First Published:
July 20, 2025, 06:30 IST
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.