Congress Doesn’t Want Pulwama Redux, But Leaders Smear Operation Sindoor With Gaffes
At Thursday's all-party meet chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Congress’s Rahul Gandhi expressed support to the government, say sources
The Congress has changed. Not completely, but in stark contrast to the party’s response to the Balakot air strikes, this time, after Operation Sindoor, the Congress is in full support of the government and armed forces.
After the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, the Congress issued a statement: “We stand firmly with the country’s defence forces and government to deal with Pakistan following the terror attack in Pahalgam."
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At Thursday’s all-party meet by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to brief the Opposition on the developments in the past 36 hours, sources said, Congress’s Rahul Gandhi asked certain questions, but did not push the government, saying “we understand how this really works and what the situation is", while Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge asked about the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
After the meeting on Pahalgam attack, too, Gandhi and Kharge had said their party would support the Indian government on the necessary response.
THE JARRING VOICES
Of course, there have been a few violations. Like Jignesh Mevani’s X post, which he had to delete. It said: “Fight war mongers, religious hatred and fake nationalism. Terror will die of starvation."
Imran Masood asked for the number of casualties on the Indian side, while Rashid Alvi said, “A much better reply has to be given, this is bare minimum. Was every terrorist killed? Will there be another Pahalgam?"
And now Udit Raj, who said that the operation shouldn’t have been named Sindoor, as it is associated with one faith.
LEARNT ITS LESSONS
But there is a reason why the mainstream Congress wants to be seen as standing rock solid behind the PM, government and, of course, the armed forces.
There is, of course, a backstory to this.
After the Pulwama attack and Balakot airstrikes, the response from the Congress was unsavoury and had hurt them electorally as well. Asking for proof immediately, wondering whether the strikes had achieved anything, the Congress learnt the hard way that being on the wrong side of the nationalism issue would scar them, which it did, and has till today.
In fact, internal notes circulated after the Lok Sabha results told the top leadership that the questioning of the strikes had hurt them badly.
Which is also why now the Congress wants to make the right noise.
But unfortunately, its inability to rein in these jarring voices is derailing the Congress’s efforts of course correction.
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