PM cancelled his Kashmir visit after intel input: Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had cancelled his Kashmir visit after receiving an intelligence report just three days before the Pahalgam terror attack last month.

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Speaking at the Samvidhan Bachao rally in Jharkhand’s Ranchi, Kharge labelled the Pahalgam terror attack as an "intelligence failure" in which 26 civilians, most of them tourists, were shot dead by terrorists at the Baisaran meadows.

"The government has accepted it and they will solve it. If they already knew, why didn’t they act? I have received information that 3 days before the attack, an intelligence report was sent to Prime Minister Modi. After receiving the alert, he cancelled his scheduled visit to Kashmir. I also read this in a newspaper," Kharge said.

The top Opposition leader accused the prime minister of not sharing the "intelligence alert" with the security agencies in Jammu and Kashmir.

"When intelligence advised you not to visit for your own safety, why did you not share that information with the security forces and police to protect the common people?," Kharge asked.

He criticised the BJP-led central Government for not increasing security in the area despite having prior intelligence. “Why did the Centre not deploy more security personnel in Pahalgam, knowing there was a threat of a terrorist attack?” he asked.

Meanwhile, the BJP hit back at Kharge for his controversial remarks, saying that while they were expecting him to control the leaders of the grand-old party from making inflammatory remarks, the senior leader himself joined that brigade.

"What has happened to Kharge ji...On one hand, during the meeting, they say that they are with the country and on the other hand, they are trying to weaken the country," senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

Prasad termed Kharge's comments as "extremely unfortunate" and "deeply hurting" at a time when there are heightened tensions between two countries and a matter of national security.

"Kharge Saheb, what has happened to you. Today the entire country is together, standing firm with the government, we are preparing mock drills and you are saying PM was aware.. I request you to give statements with some responsibility. Rather than controlling your party leaders from making controversial remarks, you yourself joined that brigade. It is unfortunate," he said.