TMC backs govt action but asks security & intel lapse questions
Times of India | 25 April 2025
12 Kolkata: Asking hard questions on security and intelligence lapses following the Pahalgam massacre, Trinamool said at Thursday's all-party meeting in Delhi that while it supported govt in its fight against terrorism, Centre must introspect on what led to the incident.
TMC also asked why, faced with a tragedy of this magnitude, Centre did not convene an all-party meet that could have been attended by party chiefs, including CM Mamata Banerjee, but was limited to an all-parliamentary party meeting.
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TMC's Lok Sabha leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay said at the meeting: "We are with Union govt in the fight against terrorism. The nation must be totally united in this fight to eliminate terrorism. The PM should call a meeting of chiefs of all parties at the earliest. Why was there no security force deployment at such an important tourist spot like Pahalgam? Why is BJP turning this into a Hindu-Muslim issue? The ruling party has to shoulder much more responsibility than others. They must."
A senior TMC MP said the scale of the intelligence failure was such that multiple parliamentary standing committees, including the one for home affairs, were either in Kashmir or were scheduled to leave for Kashmir within the next two days.
In Kolkata, Trinamool also launched a scathing attack on BJP and PM Narendra Modi. Party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said: "Terrorists do not have any religion. They are terrorists. Period. If it were so, why would Syed Adil Hussain Shah die trying to save the Pahalgam victims? If it were so, why would Jhantu Ali Sheikh give up his life fighting for the country? We strongly condemn terrorism, we are numbed by the tragedy, but why is it being given a Hindu-Muslim narrative when none of the real questions are being answered? Why has there not been a single word on the intelligence lapse? Why is there not a single word on the lack of security at Pahalgam?"
Criticising Modi's statements in Madhubani, Ghosh said: "Modi did politics over dead bodies today. He spoke nothing about compensation packages. He didn't take any accountability for the incompetence of the Union ministry of home affairs. He conducted an election meeting. He spoke for 28 minutes but gave only 6 minutes to Pahalgam, that too towards the end. During the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, Modi demanded answers from the then central govt as to how terrorists from across the border came to the country when borders were managed by central govt. As PM, he should have answered the questions he raised that day."