HM should take responsibility for Pahalgam attack: Kharge in RS

Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday demanded that Union Home Minister Amit Shah take responsibility for the “security failure” which resulted in the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.

Participating in a special discussion in the Upper House on India’s strong, successful, and decisive ‘Operation Sindoor’ in response to the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kharge said, “Since the BJP has come to rule, there have been attacks in the country, and yet there has been no action taken on it. Uri and Pathankot attack in 2016, the Pulwama attack in 2019, and now the Pahalgam attack in 2025.”

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“All these incidents have made it clear that there has been a recurring intelligence failure and a failure in national security. I want to ask the Home Minister who is taking accountability for this? What has the government done to rectify the mistakes in the intelligence failures? If you are responsible, vacate your post. If not, what action has the Prime Minister been taking ?” Kharge said.

He stated it was not Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha who was supposed to take responsibility for the Pahalgam attack being a “security failure”, but should have been Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

He said on July 14, Jammu and Kashmir LG Manoj Sinha took responsibility for the Pahalgam attack being a security failure. However, the responsibility for this should be taken by the Home Minister and not the LG, the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha said.
“Jammu and Kashmir LG Manoj Sinha himself admitted that ‘the Pahalgam attack was a security lapse. I take full responsibility’. But the responsibility for this security lapse should be taken by the Home Minister and not the LG. To hide the mistake of the Home Minister, to save him, the LG of Jammu and Kashmir has taken responsibility for the Pahalgam attack,” Kharge said.

Turning to the ceasefire that followed the Pahalgam attacks, the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. He referred to statements made by US President Donald Trump, who claimed five jets were shot down and suggested a third-party role in the ceasefire.

Kharge asked who had authorised it and whether foreign pressure – including trade threats or diplomatic intervention – influenced the decision. He demanded an official explanation, stating that the Prime Minister’s lack of response amounted to surrendering India’s narrative to external voices.

Taking a dig at Prime Minister Modi for his visit to Bihar during the Parliament session, Kharge said the PM lacked the capability to sit and listen to the opposition and wasn’t capable of holding the post.

“While the opposition was attending the all-party meeting, the PM went to Bihar for his election campaigning. Is that his level of patriotism? He should have been in the House today and listening to the Opposition; if he does not have the capability to hear, he should not be capable of holding the post,” Kharge said.

Slamming the government, he claimed that he, along with Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, had demanded a special session of Parliament in a letter to Prime Minister Modi; however, he had received no response.

Mocking the PM for not responding to the letters, Kharge said the arrogance of the PM would drag him down.
“We demanded a special session on Operation Sindoor and wrote letters to the PM, but there was no response, and our letters were dumped in the waste box. They were not even read. If you have such arrogance, then one day, people will tear your arrogance down. This is not good. You have the time to visit Saudi Arabia and Bihar, but you do not have the time to respond to our letters,” he further said.