Kharge could not have made more irresponsible comment: BJP reacts to his swipe at PM

Slamming Mallikarjun Kharge for alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi cancelled his trip to Jammu and Kashmir due to an adverse intelligence days before the Pahalgam attack last month, the BJP said the Congress president could not have made a more irresponsible comment at a time of rising tensions with Pakistan.

BJP leader and former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said Kharge has joined the "brigade" of his party leaders making controversial remarks on the issue of national security, instead of controlling them.

"What kind of comments is he making! On the one hand, he says in the (all-party) meeting that they are standing with the country, on the other, he is trying to weaken the country," Prasad told reporters.

At a public meeting in Ranchi, Kharge had alleged that Modi cancelled his visit to Jammu and Kashmir for a government programme visit after "receiving an intelligence report three days before" the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22.

"I got information that three days before the attack, an intelligence report was sent to Modi Ji, and that is why Modi Ji cancelled his visit to Kashmir...When an intelligence report says that it is not proper to visit there for your security, why did you not inform your security, intelligence, local police and border force to protect people? When you got the information, you cancelled your programme but did not send more forces to protect tourists there,” Kharge alleged.

Hitting back, Prasad said a more irresponsible comment could not have come from the president of the main opposition party.

"It is a very painful and unfortunate remark when people are standing with the country and the government amid preparation for the nationwide mock drill," he added.