logo
Pahalgam attack: BJP hits out; says ‘remarks shameful, do Kharge, Rahul control their party?'

Pahalgam attack: BJP hits out; says ‘remarks shameful, do Kharge, Rahul control their party?'

Indian Express28-04-2025

Accusing the Congress of 'speaking the language of Pakistan' following the Pahalgam terror attack, the BJP Monday demanded that the main Opposition party take action against its leaders for making statements that are 'being used' as 'anti-India' propaganda across the border.
Addressing a press conference, BJP national spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad described as 'shameful' and 'unwarranted' remarks by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramiah and other Congress leaders, such as Saifuddin Soz and Mani Shankar Aiyar, and others linked to the party, such as Robert Vadra.
Stating that these remarks come at a time when the nation is grappling with grief following the attack that left 26 people dead, Prasad accused the Congress leaders of seeking to 'weaken India's unity'.
He sought to know whether the Congress 'truly' stood united with the Government as it had stated during the all-party meeting following the attack.
'What are the Congress's senior leaders saying (about such statements)? Why are they saying so?… a pattern seems to have emerged… Karnataka CM Siddaramiah has said war is not an option … Pakistan TV channels and their generals are using this,' Prasad told reporters.
Prasad referred to Siddaramaiah 's remark that there was no need for a war; Karnataka Excise Minister R B Timmapur asking 'why would someone firing a gun ask about a person's caste or religion?'; and a statement by Vijay Wadettiwar, Leader of the Congress Legislative Party in Maharashtra, asking whether 'terrorists have time to ask about religion while shooting?'
Prasad also questioned Vadra's remarks about Muslims feeling suppressed and Aiyar's remark that the consequences of the Partition remain unresolved to this day.
Siddaramaiah and Vadra later clarified that their remarks had been misinterpreted. The Congress also sought to distance itself from such statements with the party's communications in-charge, Jairam Ramesh, posting on X: 'They speak for themselves and do not reflect the INC's views. There should be absolutely no doubt whatsoever at this most sensitive of times that the CWC resolution, the views expressed by Shri Mallikarjun Kharge and Shri Rahul Gandhi (at the all-party meeting) and the views of authorised AICC office-bearers ALONE represent the position of the INC'.
Prasad, meanwhile, said that while the global community, including the US, Russia, Australia, England, Saudi Arabia, Italy and UAE, 'are all standing with India', Congress ministers had claimed 'the world is mocking us'.
'Where are these thoughts and words coming from? During the candle march in Bihar, slogans of 'Pakistan Zindabad' were raised…When asked whether he would visit the house of Shubham Dwivedi (one of the tourists who was killed in the attack), Akhilesh Yadav stated that he has no connection with the family but would encourage his party workers to go there…This is truly unfortunate and deeply regrettable,' Prasad said.
'Do Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge have no control over their party?…all these statements are being misused by Pakistan, their social media is full of it…did they speak to Siddaramiah? Will any action be taken? This is not right; we condemn such statements,' Prasad said, reiterating Prime Minister Narendra Modi 's commitment to give a 'befitting reply' to those behind the terror strike.
Taking on Kharge, whom he accused of harbouring 'resentment' against Modi, Prasad said, 'In reality, Mallikarjun Kharge harbors resentment towards Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, which is why he made the '56-inch chest' remark. At a time when the nation expects unity, Kharge should refrain from using such language.'
BJP Lok Sabha MP Sambit Patra, meanwhile, asked whether such leaders were 'Pakistani agents', and the statements made by Congress leaders 'a blatant attempt to lower the morale of the country's army, the country's people and the country's government'.
The BJP's renewed attack came a day after the party's national spokesperson, Sudhanshu Trivedi, took on the Karnataka CM for 'speaking the same language' as 'Pakistan's Defence Minister, Pakistan's Home Minister and Pakistan's Foreign Minister'.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Commoners to politicians, all join in to celebrate last Bada Mangal
Commoners to politicians, all join in to celebrate last Bada Mangal

Hindustan Times

time11 minutes ago

  • Hindustan Times

Commoners to politicians, all join in to celebrate last Bada Mangal

Faith was served hot on the city streets as everybody from commoners to politicians soaked in the Bada Mangal festivities on Tuesday. While some distributed food, water and juices, others organised unique bhandaras. BJP city president Anand Dwivedi participated in various bhandaras, including one organised by excise minister Nitin Aggrawal at his residence in Gautampalli where state general secretary BJP Anoop Gupta, state president BJP Bhupendra Singh, deputy chief ministers Brajesh Pathak and Keshav Prasad Maurya were also present. Dwivedi also participated in bhandaras organised by former MLC Arvind Tripathi Guddu, Vinayak Pandey, Gautam Kumar, Ravi Shankar Chaurasia, Shishir Bajpai, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Anita Tiwari, Madan Kumar, Kulbir Chaudhary, Danish Sonkar, Rajiv Mishra and Alambagh Vyapar Mandal and distributed prasad. Senior BJP leader Neeraj Singh also participated in the feasts and cultural programmes organised by social organisations, traders and workers. At a bhandara organised by Shiv Sharan Singh at UP Press Club, he was present with deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak. Samajwadi Party's state general secretary and business leader Rambabu Rastogi organised a grand bhandara next to Thakurganj Kalyangiri temple in which former cabinet minister Shivpal Singh Yadav distributed prasad after performing the puja. During the puja, Jagdeep Chaudhary, Rajesh Yadav, Rajbala Rawat, Anil Verma, Neeraj Srivastava, Satendra Rajput, Narendra Singh, Mayank Singh, Vijay Verma, Sanjay Dwivedi, Ashwini Mishra, Umesh Bajpai, Ajay Verma, Mudit Mishra, Salim Hussain were present. Some socio-cultural organisation held bhandaras with a cause on the occasion. At a bhandara organised by a group of individuals from Madad Karona foundation, towels and water was distributed to rickshaw pullers and labourers. Abdul Saboor, founder of the foundation said that while there is an abundance of food for people on Bada Mangal, we distributed towels and water for those who work hard under scorching summer heat. 'The towels will help those doing tedious work by preventing them from getting heat strokes for the entire summer season,' said Saboor. A bhandara with tree saplings was organised outside UP Sangeet Natak Akademi by Repertwahr Foundation to promote green cover and importance of plantation.

Trump Tariffs May Remain In Effect While Appeals Proceed: US Court
Trump Tariffs May Remain In Effect While Appeals Proceed: US Court

News18

time15 minutes ago

  • News18

Trump Tariffs May Remain In Effect While Appeals Proceed: US Court

The appeals court has yet to rule on whether the tariffs are permissible under an emergency economic powers act that Trump cited to justify them, but it allowed the duties to remain in place while the appeals play out. The Federal Circuit said the litigation raised issues of 'exceptional importance" warranting the court to take the rare step of having the 11-member court hear the appeal, rather than have it go before a three-judge panel first. It scheduled arguments for July 31. The tariffs, used by Trump as negotiating leverage with U.S. trading partners, and their on-again, off-again nature, have shocked markets and whipsawed companies of all sizes as they seek to manage supply chains, production, staffing and prices. The ruling has no impact on other tariffs levied under more traditional legal authority, such as duties on steel and aluminum imports. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled on May 28 that the U.S. Constitution gave Congress, not the president, the power to levy taxes and tariffs, and that the president had exceeded his authority by invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a law intended to address 'unusual and extraordinary" threats during national emergencies. The Trump administration quickly appealed the ruling, and the Federal Circuit in Washington put the lower court decision on hold the next day while it considered whether to impose a longer-term pause. The May 28 ruling came in a pair of lawsuits, one filed by the nonpartisan Liberty Justice Center on behalf of five small U.S. businesses that import goods from countries targeted by the duties, and the other by 12 U.S. states led by Oregon. Jeffrey Schwab, an attorney for the small businesses that sued, said Tuesday's federal appeals court decision was disappointing, but it did not mean that the Trump administration would win in the end. 'It's important to note that every court to rule on the merits so far has found these tariffs unlawful, and we have faith that this court will likewise see what is plain as day: that IEEPA does not allow the president to impose whatever tax he wants whenever he wants," Schwab said Tuesday. The White House and state of Oregon did not immediately respond to requests for comment after normal business hours on Tuesday. Trump has claimed broad authority to set tariffs under IEEPA. The 1977 law has historically been used to impose sanctions on enemies of the U.S. or freeze their assets. Trump is the first U.S. president to use it to impose tariffs. Trump has said that the tariffs imposed in February on Canada, China and Mexico were to fight illegal fentanyl trafficking at U.S. borders, denied by the three countries, and that the across-the-board tariffs on all U.S. trading partners imposed in April were a response to the U.S. trade deficit. Advertisement

At foundation day events, rival NCP factions rule out reunion
At foundation day events, rival NCP factions rule out reunion

Hindustan Times

time20 minutes ago

  • Hindustan Times

At foundation day events, rival NCP factions rule out reunion

Pune: Leaders of both factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) — led by Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar — on Tuesday indicated that there is no immediate scope for a reunion between the two camps, as they marked the party's 26th foundation day at separate events in Pune. The statements came amid growing political buzz over a possible merger in the run-up to crucial local body elections in Maharashtra. In its May ruling, the Supreme Court directed the state government to conduct long-pending civic polls — including for 29 municipal corporations and several municipal councils — within four months. The elections are expected to take place by September. At the NCP event in Pune's Balewadi stadium, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar avoided giving a definitive answer on the merger issue, saying such decisions are taken by top leaders, not by party workers or junior leaders. State NCP chief Sunil Tatkare was more categorical. 'There is no such proposal,' he said when asked about the possibility of the two factions coming together again. Tatkare maintained that the decision to join the NDA was a collective one taken in the interest of the people. 'It was not Ajit Pawar's personal decision. From 2014, there were several moments when the (then united) party considered joining the BJP-led alliance, only to change its mind at the last minute. In 2023, we finally joined hands with the NDA for the welfare of the people, without compromising on our secular ideology,' he said. Ajit also defended his faction's decision to be part of the BJP-Shiv Sena government. 'We are not saints who will stay in the opposition just to protest. We want to work for the people,' he said. At the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) event at Balgandharva auditorium, party chief Sharad Pawar acknowledged that last year's split had shaken the organisation but praised the workers who remained with the party. 'We never imagined that the party would split, but it did. Still, you continued the work with determination,' he told them. Without naming his nephew, he said, 'Some people chose a different path and embraced another ideology. I do not want to dwell on it today, but the ones who stayed back did so because they believed in the party's core values.' Responding to questions about a possible reunion, NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule sidestepped the issue. 'I have not had the time to discuss internal matters with party leaders or even my own family over the past 15 days,' she said. Sule recently led a multi-party delegation to several countries following Operation Sindoor. Sharad also cautioned against dwelling on who left and who stayed. 'If we remain united and work for the common people, we will face no problems,' he said. He reiterated that the coming elections would bring a different outcome and signalled that the party was preparing to fight the local polls with renewed vigour. While both parties played down the possibility of reuniting, insiders in both camps admit that the real test of strength will come during the civic polls, where they are expected to go head-to-head in several key urban centres.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store