Kharge corners pm modi over 'prior alerts' on pahalgam attack - the statesman

The Congress on Tuesday continued its attack on the Modi government with its president Mallikarjun Kharge terming Operation Sindoor as a small war against Pakistan and alleged that Prime

Minister Narendra Modi had prior alerts on the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. In Karnataka, along with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, to participate in the second anniversary

celebrations of the Karnataka government at Hosapete, Kharge breathed fire against the central government for its failure to protect the lives of 26 innocent tourists. Advertisement

Addressing the Samarpane Sankalpa Rally at Hosapete, Kharge maintained that the PM was scheduled to visit Kashmir on April 17, but intelligence agencies advised against it and his visit was

quietly cancelled. Advertisement He said that he was asking the PM if he was aware of the intelligence and why he did not inform the people. If he had done so, many innocent lives could have

been saved, he said. The Congress leader lamented that while India was engaged in small wars with Pakistan, the neighbouring country was getting tacit support from China. The Congress chief

also hit out at Modi for engaging in election rallies at a time like this instead of attending all-party meetings. “While 26 citizens were killed, PM Modi was busy holding a rally in Bihar.

Two all-party meetings were held, and the Prime Minister didn’t attend either. If we had skipped those meetings, we would be called traitors. But when Modi skips them, it’s branded as

patriotism. Why this double standard?” Mallikarjun questioned. Even on the multi-party delegations sent to different foreign countries to explain India’s position to the world, Kharge said

that the Congress did not play politics on it and supported the government. “The Prime Minister announced a delegation would be sent, but he didn’t consult us. Still, we didn’t object — in

the national interest. Our representatives are now visiting these countries. Our priority is to protect the country, not score political points”. LoP, Rahul Gandhi on the other hand,

concentrated on the achievements of the Karnataka government in the two years and asserted that it had fulfilled its promise of five guarantees. Today, the Karnataka government commenced the

granting of land ownership rights to one lakh families in the state, which is also one of the guarantees the party made during the election campaign. The Gandhi scion also sought to draw a

contrast between the Congress and BJP regimes by saying that in the BJP model, if you fall ill, you get drowned in debt. In the Congress model, you have money in your pocket for treatment.

He went on to laud the government for its schemes and initiatives in the areas of food, electricity, education, and particularly mentioned the free bus travel for women. Advertisement