Kharge Slams PM Modi for Not Attending All-Party Meeting on Pahalgam Terror Attack

Kharge questioned the government’s decision to suspend the 1960 Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan, asking where the water would be stored. He noted that these issues would be raised later, not immediately. Kharge stated that he, along with Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and leaders from all political parties, attended the all-party meeting.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, he said, “The first question, I raised in the meeting was that when the government calls a meeting, the Prime Minister should be present. Since he was not there, we said this is not right.”

Kharge criticised the Prime Minister’s approach to the all-party meeting as inappropriate, given that the Pahalgam attack claimed at least 26 lives and injured many others. He took a dig at Modi for addressing an election rally in Bihar instead of attending the meeting.

Kharge remarked, “You go to Bihar to deliver your election speech. If he (Modi) is not attending the meeting, it means he is not serious about it.” He added, “Instead of speaking in Hindi and English, you should have told us how this (terror attack) happened—whether it was a security lapse, intelligence failure, or a lapse at the level of informants and police. Unfortunately, he did not attend.”

The All India Congress Committee (AICC) President said that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who chaired the meeting, admitted to a security lapse in the Pahalgam attack, which killed 26 people. Kharge noted that he told Union Home Minister Amit Shah to treat the issue as a challenge and ensure such incidents do not recur.

The senior Congress leader stated, “Still, from the perspective of the nation and its unity, we told them that we should come together and ensure the country’s security. We also conveyed that we are united in supporting the government’s decisions on this matter.”

When asked by reporters, if he was satisfied with the government’s decisions, Kharge responded, “Now is not the time to highlight those things. We will point them out when the time comes, but it’s not appropriate to do so now.”

He emphasized that it is time to stand united with the government and not find fault with its decisions. On India’s decision to suspend the 1960 Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan, Kharge remarked, “If you (government) decide to stop the water, where will you store it? Do we have such dams? But these questions will be raised later, not now.”