New Delhi [India]: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Anurag Thakur launched a sharp attack on the Congress Party on Tuesday, questioning its stance following the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, including a Nepali national. Thakur accused the Congress of echoing Pakistan’s narrative and alleged that the party has once again revealed its “pro-Pakistan” face.
“Congress aur unke netaaon ki kya majboori hai, ki Pakistan ke bol bolne zaruri hain? Why are they supporting Pakistan? Do they not get angry when they see the bloodshed of Indians?… Their leader and former cabinet minister, Saifuddin Soz, asks us to listen to Pakistan when it says it is not involved in the attack, and not to stop the flow of water into Pakistan,” Anurag Thakur told ANI.
He further accused the Congress of undermining national interests by questioning India’s actions such as surgical strikes while showing leniency towards Pakistan, which he called the “only country with a state policy of terrorist funding.”
“Who is Congress standing with? Hindustan ke saath ya Pakistan ke? Congress even raised questions when India carried out a surgical strike… Only a short time has passed, and Congress has already started raising questions about India and siding with Pakistan. The face of the pro-Pakistan Congress has been exposed again. Congress leaders are making all kinds of statements, and the party leadership is not taking any kind of action against them.”
“There is only one country in the world which has a state policy of terrorist funding, and it is Pakistan. The one who becomes happy after killing innocent people, that is Pakistan,” he added.
Thakur’s comments came in response to recent remarks by Congress leaders including Saifuddin Soz, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, and RV Timapur. Soz suggested that Pakistan’s denial of involvement should be considered “for a time,” pending investigation. Siddaramaiah stated that the terrorists “did not ask the religion of the victims” and emphasized restraint from war, although he later clarified that war should occur if unavoidable.
Soz also stated that “dialogue” is the only viable option between India and Pakistan, as the two are neighbors and long-term conflict is unsustainable.
In response, Congress Party distanced itself from these remarks, labeling them as “personal opinions” that do not reflect the party’s official stance.
“It is right that some leaders of the Congress party are saying several things, but this is their personal opinion. I want to make it clear that no one has given them the right to say all this…The Congress party has nothing to do with these statements, and the party does not agree with such statements,” Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh told ANI.
The April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, targeted a group of tourists and marked one of the deadliest incidents since the 2019 Pulwama attack. In the aftermath, India has taken strict measures against Pakistan, citing its continued support for cross-border terrorism.