BJP questions Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi over 'insensitive, shameless' comments of some Congress leaders

The BJP on Monday questioned Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi over the comments of several Congress leaders questioning the need for war with Pakistan and the Pahalgan terror attack victims' account that terrorists marked out non-Muslims, asking if their call for national unity was merely a formality. Former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad named a number of Congress leaders, including Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, senior Maharashtra leader Vijay Wadettiwar, Karnataka minister R B Timmapur and Gandhi's brother-in-law Robert Vadra, for their controversial comments to target the opposition party's leadership.

"Do Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge have no control over their party? Or both of them made pro forma comments while letting others the freedom to speak as they wished," he said, adding that their remarks are being used in Pakistan, including by its media, to defame India.

When the world is with India after the terror strike, be it the US, France or Saudi Arabia, these leaders are making such shameless and irresponsible remarks, he said.


It is the height of insensitivity, he said, adding that the likes of Wadettiwar and Timmapur have questioned the account of some of the victims that terrorists identified non-Muslims before shooting them dead.

He noted that Congress president Kharge and the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Gandhi had extended their support to the government in the all-party meeting over the countermeasures following the terror strike and said it reflected the strength of India's mature democracy.

However, several Congress leaders have made comments that appeared to be part of a pattern, Prasad told reporters, wondering if their leadership merely responded in a perfunctory manner in the wake of the attack.