On Pahalgam Terror Attack, Congress Questions Intel Failure; Priyanka, Kharge Demand Accountability From HM Amit Shah

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The Congress on Tuesday lashed out at Union Home Minister Amit Shah with its party leaders taking on the HM from the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha during the Operation Sindoor debate. While Priyanka Gandhi led the Congress assault in the Lok Sabha, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge launched a no-holds-barred attack on Shah. 

Priyanka Gandhi Demands Accountability

Congress MP from Wayanad Priyanka Gandhi Vadra launched a direct attack on the Narendra Modi government, questioning the NDA government’s claims of 'normalcy' in Jammu and Kashmir while demanding accountability from Home Minister Amit Shah. “Everyone talks about 'Operation Sindoor', and we are proud of our Army. But no one talks about what happened in Pahalgam on April 22, when people were massacred in front of their family members. What were they doing there? They had gone there believing the government's word — that peace had returned to Kashmir,” she said.

Gandhi highlighted that The Resistance Front (TRF), an affiliate of the banned terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the April attack, and has carried out 25 such attacks between 2020 and 2025 —including the Reasi attack.

“Yet the TRF was designated a terror outfit only in 2023. Why did it take so long? Isn’t the Pahalgam attack a failure of our Intelligence agencies? Has the IB chief resigned? Has the Home Minister taken responsibility? No. Not even a word,” she said.

Kharge Calls For Shah's Resignation

Addressing the upper house, Rajya Sabha LoP Mallikarjun Kharge said that along with the entire country and the Congress party, condemns the continuous support to terrorists by Pakistan. "We had condemned Pakistan earlier too, we will condemn them today as well and if this continues tomorrow, we will continue to condemn them. But here, we condemn them and you attend their feast and hug them," said Kharge.

Kharge further said that it's HM Shah who should take the responsibility and not the Jammu and Kashmir LG. He said, "On 14th July 2025, J&K LG Manoj Sinha admitted that the Pahalgam terror attack was undoubtedly a security failure..."I take full responsibility for the incident, which was undoubtedly a security lapse". The Home Minister should take responsibility, not the Lt Governor."

He says, “I want to talk about intelligence failure. In 2016, there were the Uri and Pathankot attacks, in 2019 the Pulwama attack, and now the Pahalgam terror attack. All of these incidents are proof that there has been an intelligence failure. I want to ask Home Minister Amit Shah - who is responsible for this?” Kharge said that if Shah takes the responsibility, then he should resign. 

The Congress party also questioned the Modi government over failing to refute US President Donald Trump's ceasefire claim.