'Fix Accountability': M Kharge's Volley Against Centre In Op Sindoor Debate

Launching a volley of attacks on the Centre during the debate on Operation Sindoor in the Rajya Sabha, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday said "factories of lies" have been set up and demanded that accountability be fixed for repeated intelligence failures.

Extending his condolences to the families of those killed in the Pahalgam attack on April 22, the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha said members of the treasury benches, in their speeches, have tried to deflect attention from the issues at hand. 

"Our history is a long one. The history of the Congress is a long one. Our contribution to nation-building has been immense. There is not one Public Sector Unit that you have set up. You have only set up factories of lies. Then you talk about HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited) and other PSUs that we have created," Mr Kharge said in Hindi.

The Congress President said Amit Shah visited Jammu and Kashmir on April 7 and 8 and said that the terrorist ecosystem had been crippled under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. 

"If it was crippled, how was the Pahalgam attack carried out? You keep saying so many things that are so far from the truth. Just three days before the attack, PM Modi cancelled his scheduled visit to J&K... This is an issue I have raised before as well and I have got no answers. Did the Centre suspect that an attack was about to be carried out? If so, why were the tourists and pilgrims not stopped from going?" Mr Kharge asked. 

At this point, BJP President and leader of the House JP Nadda intervened and called for some remarks to be expunged. 

'Arrogance'

Continuing his attack, the Congress president said he and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, wrote letters demanding a special session of Parliament to discuss the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor, but got no response. 

"Our letters seem to end up in the waste bin. They don't even look at them. This much arrogance is not good. You don't have time to write a couple of sentences and reply? During the 1962 India-China War, then PM Jawaharlal Nehru had agreed to a special session and said nothing should be hidden from the people. We also asked for the truth to be told in all-party meetings at least. We attended those meetings, where was PM Modi? Why was he not there?" he questioned. 

'Who Is Responsible?'

Pointing to the 2016 Uri and Pathankot terrorist attacks, the Pulwama attack in 2019 and Pahalgam this year, Mr Kharge alleged that the government has to admit there have been repeated intelligence failures. 

"I want to ask the Home Minister, who is responsible for this? If he is responsible, accountability should be fixed... There have been five attacks in Pahalgam alone since the BJP government came to power. Mistakes may have happened, but what did you do to fix them? If the Home Minister is responsible, he should resign. If he is not, the Prime Minister should decide what action needs to be taken," the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha said.

"Even the Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said there was a security lapse in the Pahalgam terror attack," Mr Kharge said and, when someone from the treasury benches began shouting, added, "You keep talking about what we have done. Under Indira Gandhi, we split Pakistan into two and ensured Bangladesh got Independence," he added.

The Congress President said Home Minister Shah has said three terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack have been killed. "But what about the others? Where are they hiding? Why haven't you been able to find them?" he asked. 

Stating that the Opposition had extended all possible support to the government in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack, Mr Kharge said that did not stop the Centre from attacking the Congress and other parties for electoral gains. 

The Congress president also said at least 27 people, including five children, were killed in Pakistani firing during Operation Sindoor and asked why they were not moved to safer places.