Political Barbs Fly Post-Pahalgam Attack

In the wake of the Pahalgam attack, Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai sparked controversy by accusing the Central government of empty rhetoric, prompting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament Anurag Thakur to retort that the Congress party has become a 'joke.' Thakur further criticized Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's previous reprimand by the Supreme Court over the Rafale issue. Speaking at Kangra airport in Dharamshala, Thakur underscored how global sentiment turned against Pakistan following the attack.

The attack, which claimed 26 lives on April 22, fueled escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has decisively empowered the armed forces, granting them full operational freedom to respond at their discretion. Measures such as suspending the Indus Water Treaty are aimed at conveying India's stern stance against Pakistan's cross-border terrorism support.

The political blame game intensified as Congress was slammed for allegedly opposing government efforts, with Uttar Pradesh Minister O P Rajbhar asserting that the current government jails terrorists unlike the previous Congress-led regime. Rai, the UP Congress president, critiqued the government's inertia in punishing perpetrators, citing the idle state of Rafale jets as a symbol of inaction, hinting at an urgent need for substantive responses against terrorism.

(With inputs from agencies.)