New Delhi: The Prime Minister cancelled his scheduled visit to Jammu and Kashmir three days before the Pahalgam attack, suggesting that the government had prior information of an impending terrorist attack in the Union Territory, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said Tuesday.
Levelling a big charge, Congress President Kharge asked, “The PM cancelled his scheduled visit to save himself, and innocent tourists laid down their lives”, which led to a huge ruckus in the House from the government benches. Kharge went on to add, “Is it their patriotism—to allow other people to die?”
Leader of the House J.P. Nadda attempted an intervention, calling Kharge’s charge against the PM serious and asking the Chair to expunge the comments if not authenticated.
Continuing his speech, Kharge said that despite several requests from the Opposition to convene a special session of Parliament, the government had only conceded to an all-party meet to discuss Operation Sindoor. But the PM, Kharge added, was not even available for the all-party meeting.
“You (Modi) were in Bihar, attending a political rally. You should be here, in either of the Houses, while the discussion is underway. If you do not have the courage [needed] to listen, you do not deserve to be in that position.”
In a speech that lasted more than an hour, Kharge held Union Home Minister Amit Shah squarely responsible for the intelligence and security lapses in J&K, leading to the 22 April Pahalgam attack, which killed 26 people. Citing the terror attacks since 2016—in Uri and Pathankot (2016), Pulwama (2019) and Pahalgam (2025)—Kharge said the government still did not take any responsibility for any of the security failures.
On 14 July, Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha, termed the Pahalgam attack as undoubtedly a security failure, taking responsibility for it.
Kharge, however, said Amit Shah cannot hide behind the L-G taking responsibility, just because everyone in the Bharatiya Janata Party is scared of “number 1 and number 2”, alluding to the Prime Minister and Home Minister. “LG has accepted security failure, but the buck should stop at the Home Minister,” he stated.
BJP President Nadda, at a point during the speech, said that Kharge had “lost his mind”, but he later retracted the comments in the face of backlash from the Opposition.
The curious case of the ceasefire
The truth about the ceasefire is that its announcement did not come from the Prime Minister, Home Minister, or Defence Minister but United States President Donald Trump, Kharge said.
“When we were on the front foot, the Army had retaliated and was marching forward, and Pakistan was at our feet, the ceasefire was announced,” the LoP said, adding that not India, but Trump announced it, before announcing it another 29 times.
Questioning whether the Trump establishment brokered the India-Pakistan ceasefire with trade threats and economic blackmail, Kharge sarcastically asked why the Prime Minister still maintained silence over his “friend” Donald Trump’s claims on that front, even after Modi—unbefitting of the PM—had gone around campaigning for the US President.
Continuing on the topic of the ceasefire, he said, “Trump said he used trade to bring a ceasefire. I believe Modi is a patriot, that Amit Shah is a patriot, but who benefited from this trade deal, or is it going to benefit someone?” Kharge asked. “Desh bech ke paisa kaun kamana chahta hai (Who wants to make money by selling off the country)?”
Adding to Kharge’s charge, Congress Rajya Sabha member Shaktisinh Gohil chipped in, “The deal was to benefit Adani.”
Post-ceasefire, Rahul Gandhi and Kharge wrote to the Prime Minister, demanding a special parliamentary session on the tensions, but Modi did not respond, the LoP said.
“Our letters were dumped in the waste-box, unread. If you (Modi) have such arrogance, a day will come when people will tear down your arrogance … You do not have the time to write a sentence or two. Logon ke galey padne ki fursat hai (You have time for hugs).”
However, forced hugs, photographs, and event-baazi are no substitute for a robust foreign policy, Kharge said, underscoring that neither any country nor Trump condemned Pakistan for the Pahalgam attack. Instead, he said, Pakistan Army Chief Asif Munir was invited to the White House for the first time for lunch with Trump, and the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank continued giving loans to Pakistan.
“You compare yourself with Indira Gandhi, who broke Pakistan. You believe you are Vishwaguru …. But these events have revealed the truth of our foreign policy,” he said.
Also Read: ‘Maun vrat’: Congress’s Op Sindoor delegation members will not be speaking in Parliament debate
On Indian jets and China’s role
During his speech, Kharge reiterated claims by top defence officials in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor. On 30 May at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Anil Chauhan acknowledged that the Indian Air Force (IAF) suffered aircraft losses during the opening phase of Operation Sindoor.
Chauhan admitted to “tactical mistakes” that led to the losses, Kharge said in the House.
On 30 June, Defence Attache to Indonesia Capt. Kumar said India lost the IAF jets because the political leadership asked the military not to attack Pakistan’s military bases due to “political considerations”, Kharge said.
Pointing out that “his friend” Trump too confirmed the downing of the five jets, Kharge said, “You (Modi) should answer—no jets were destroyed.”
Quoting Lt Gen. Rahul Singh on China sharing data on India’s assets with Pakistan and that India was fighting China, and not Pakistan, Kharge took a potshot at Modi, saying that the fighting happened while “we” were busy playing with the Chinese on swings in Ahmedabad. This was a reference to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Ahmedabad in 2014, when Modi and he sat on a traditional swing on the Sabarmati riverfront.
The Indian government had formed the Kargil Review Committee after the Kargil War, with K. Subrahmanyam heading it. A similar panel under the Modi government should compile a report on Operation Sindoor, its failures, as well as its achievements.
On attitude towards women
Not only foreign policy, Kharge also raised the issue of the BJP-Centre ecosystem’s attitude towards women in the context of Operation Sindoor.
Referring to Rajya Sabha MP Ram Chander Jangra, Kharge noted how a BJP leader questioned the valour of the women, who had lost their husbands in Pahalgam, at the time and commented that they did not act like viranganas.
Another BJP leader called senior Army Officer Sofia Qureshi the ‘sister of terrorists’, Kharge recalled, in a reference to Madhya Pradesh Cabinet Minister Kunwar Vijay Shah. Considering the Supreme Court had sternly condemned his remarks, Kharge asked Nadda, “Would the BJP remove Shah?”
Recalling that nobody in the BJP batted an eyelid when martyred Lieutenant Vinay Narwal’s wife was incessantly trolled, and subsequently, the trolling of Foreign Secretary Vikram Mistry, Kharge asked, “What actions did the BJP government take against these trolls?”
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
Also Read: Op Sindoor debate: Jaishankar,Rajnath spell out India’s new normal against terror & Pakistan policy
