New Delhi: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi Wednesday said he had spoken to Union Home Minister Amit Shah for an update on the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.
Gandhi, who is currently visiting the United States, posted an update on X regarding his telephone conversation with Shah, who is in Srinagar to review the security situation following Tuesday’s attack, which claimed the lives of at least 26 people.
He also spoke to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, the chairman of the National Conference, which leads the ruling alliance in the Union Territory, with the Congress as a coalition partner.
“Spoke with HM Amit Shah, J&K CM Omar Abdullah, and J&K PCC President Tariq Karra about the horrific Pahalgam terror attack. Received an update on the situation. The families of the victims deserve justice and our fullest support,” Gandhi said.
A senior Congress leader told ThePrint that it was Rahul who called up Shah from the US. Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge also called Shah separately.
His phone call to Shah marked a first for Gandhi in terms of engaging with the government in the aftermath of a terror attack.
After the 2001 attack on the Parliament, Sonia Gandhi, who was then the Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition, was among the first leaders to dial the then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, to enquire about his well-being.
“On December 13, 2001 when the terror attack on Parliament took place, Prime Minister Vajpayee would later recall that among the very first calls he received was from Smt. Sonia Gandhi inquiring of his safety,” Congress general secretary (communication) Jairam Ramesh had said in a statement in 2023. “He used to quote this example of the strength of Indian democracy. A strength that the present PM and the HM do their best to destroy day in and day out.”
In his initial response to the attack Tuesday, Gandhi had criticised the Centre, calling its claims of normalcy in the Valley “hollow”.
“The whole country is united against terrorism. Instead of making hollow claims about the situation being normal in Jammu and Kashmir, the government should take accountability and implement concrete measures to prevent such barbaric incidents in the future, ensuring that innocent Indians do not lose their lives like this,” he said in a post on X.
In a post on X, Kharge also said he had spoken to Shah and Abdullah about the “despicable carnage” in Pahalgam.
Late last night, spoke with Union Home Minister, Shri @AmitShah, J&K Chief Minister, Shri @OmarAbdullah, along with senior Congress leaders of @INCJammuKashmir about the despicable carnage in Pahalgam.
The perpetrators of this heinous terror attack must not go unpunished. The…
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) April 23, 2025
“The Government of India must engage with all political parties to ensure security in Jammu and Kashmir and make every possible effort to safeguard tourists in the state,” Kharge added.
On Tuesday, the Congress demanded that the Centre convene an all-party meeting regarding the attack and take all political parties into confidence.
“This is a time for exhibiting a cohesive collective will. The Union Govt should immediately call an all-Party meeting and take all political parties into confidence. This attack cannot and must not go unanswered effectively,” the party said in a statement.
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
Also read: 4 LeT terrorists, including 2 local men with body cams, carried out Pahalgam killings
