Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi on Monday slammed the government over the discussion on Operation Sindoor, asking how did the terrorists reach Pahalgam and killed innocent tourists. He said if anyone has to take responsibility for the security failure, then it is Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and he cannot hide behind Jammu and Kashmir Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha.
Gogoi, who spoke from the Opposition side soon after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh completed his statement on Operation Sindoor.
Taking a swipe at the government, Gogoi said that Singh shared a lot of information, but as the Defence Minister, he did not mention how five terrorists reached Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam and killed 26 people.
He said that it was the Opposition’s duty to ask questions for the country.
The Congress Lok Sabha MP said: “The country wants to know how terrorists reached Pahalgam… Their intent was to ruin the economy of Kashmir, but their real intent was Pakistan and India’s hyphenation.”
Taking a potshot at Shah over security failure, Gogoi said, “If anyone should take the responsibility for this, it is the home minister. You can’t hide behind the Lt. Governor. This government can’t hide…”
“This government is so cowardly that they blamed tour operators – that they took people to Baisaran without permission. This is tragic that there is arrogance in the government, and those in power feel no one can ask questions of those who take decisions on intelligence,” he said, lamenting the government.
The Congress, while training his guns at the government, also said that the country wants to know, and those who lost their families, want to know how the government couldn’t catch those terrorists.
“The country wants to know how these terrorists were given shelter and information. And even 100 days later, the government has no answer,” he said.
He also pointed out that it took almost an hour for an ambulance to reach Baisaran (in Pahalgam), where the attack took place.
“The army came on foot. I cannot forget those visuals when a mother and her daughter saw an Indian soldier, they started crying. They thought the terrorist, wearing the uniform of a soldier, who killed people in Baisaran, was waiting for them. That soldier had to say that he was an Indian, and they were safe. This is the kind of terror the people had there. Rajnath Ji, you should have spoken one word on this terror,” Gogoi said.
Taking a swipe at the government, he also said that the government has drones, Pegasus, and security forces, but they couldn’t catch the terrorists.
“What kind of arrangement is this? You said that after Article 370, people could go to Kashmir. But we saw unarmed people being killed, and it took an hour for an ambulance to reach,” he said.
Gogoi also said if some Rafale fighter jets have been downed, “I think it is a big loss.”
He also asked the government what were the circumstances that, despite having the best fighter jets and pilots in the world, India had to attack from a distance.
“Why couldn’t we go closer? Why did the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) have to say that we made some mistakes on the first day, but later ratified them? Lieutenant General Rahul R Singh said Pakistan was right in front, but China was supporting them. I want to ask the Defence Minister why he did not name China even once in his speech. The Army is saying we may have to face not just two fronts, but three, and that there may be convergence between Pakistan, China, and Bangladesh,” he said.
He also said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, himself, had warned the government about this two-front situation earlier.
“I want the Defence Minister and the Prime Minister to tell the House how much help Pakistan is getting from China,” Gogoi said.
The Congress leader also mentioned that the opposition was stunned by the way in which the ceasefire was announced unexpectedly.
He said: “The entire country, and the Opposition, were supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Suddenly, on May 10, we got to know that there had been a ceasefire. Why? We wanted to know from Modi Ji that if Pakistan was ready to kneel down, then why did you stop, and to whom did you surrender?”
He also referred to US President Donald Trump making claims of mediating the ceasefire and repeating it 26 times that he forced India and Pakistan to announce a ceasefire.
Gogoi also trained his guns at the Prime Minister and said: “Prime Minister Modi came back from Saudi Arabia, but he did not visit Pahalgam. He attended a government program and addressed a political rally in Bihar. If someone went to Pahalgam, it was our leader Rahul Gandhi.”
