New Delhi: Calling the Pahalgam incident a “direct attack on the Indian state”, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said Wednesday that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had assured him the government would take “drastic action” in response.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Kharge said he spoke to Shah about the attack late Tuesday evening. “Last evening, I spoke to Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He was in Kashmir.”
“I also spoke to CM Omar Abdullah. And further, I spoke to local Congress leaders. And I gathered much information, but at present I think it’s not necessary to tell everything…Amit Shah told me that they are going to take drastic action in that area.”
The veteran opposition leader emphasised that the situation demands unity from all political parties, adding that the focus should not be on finding loopholes while the nation remains in shock.
“This is a direct attack on the Indian state. the entire nation is in shock. A Pakistani terror organisation has claimed responsibility. We must give a fitting response, and in this matter, we all are one and we will fight,” Kharge said.
“This is not a time for partisan politics. It is a moment for collective resolve to ensure justice to those who lost their lives and for their grieving families by bringing the perpetrators of this terror attack to justice,” he added.
A senior Congress leader told ThePrint that it was Kharge who called up Shah. Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi also called Shah from the United States.
At the press conference, Kharge repeatedly emphasised the need to adopt a non-partisan approach, reflecting the Congress party’s cautious stance on the issue. This is particularly in light of its experience of being pushed onto the backfoot after the Pulwama attacks and the Balakot airstrikes in 2019, when many of its functionaries had sought proof from the government regarding India’s retaliation.
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— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) April 23, 2025
Kharge, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, also stated that Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed concern that the Union Territory’s economy could “collapse” due to the attack’s impact on tourism.
Kharge has convened a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party’s highest decision-making forum, Thursday morning. He also urged the Centre to call an all-party meeting, which, he said, will also help send out a message of unity.
“My request is to call an all party meeting and take some advice. We don’t want to do politics in such a situation. But everyone has got some solution. Whatever good they want to take, they can take. Whatever does not sound possible, they can reject. But the feeling will come that we are one,” Kharge said, while highlighting that the Amarnath Yatra was fast approaching.
Flanked by Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Congress publicity department chairman Pawan Khera, Kharge said the attack, which claimed the lives of 26 people, was a “direct attack on the unity and integrity of our nation since the horrific Chittisinghpura massacre in 2000…We firmly reiterate those who murdered unarmed and innocent civilians cannot be human.”
Referring to his conversation with Abdullah, Kharge said that the CM told him that in light of the attack, and its potential impact on the tourism sector, the Union Territory’s economy would be in dire straits.
“Tourism is the biggest source of income for Jammu and Kashmir. Especially in Kashmir. They depend only on that income. Omar Abdullah told me this year’s economy collapsed and their main income is from tourism only. So ‘we are finished’, he said. Those were his words,” he said. “But let’s see. It’s a UT and still not a state. So the government of India has more responsibility.”
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
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