Launching a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Pulwama attack, the Congress on Thursday accused the Modi government of failing the national security in the country.
Addressing a press conference, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said PM Modi was busy shooting for a film in Jim Corbett park till the evening of February 14 when the whole nation was mourning the death of jawans in the Pulwama terror attack.
“Is there any PM in the world like this? I have no words really,” he further said.
Taking time off from his busy schedule, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand to see the wildlife that included tigers and elephants.
The police officers had said the Prime Minister’s visit to the Corbett Park was not scheduled.
The Congress further slammed the PM for addressing a public rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi a day after the “cowardly” attack that killed at least 44 CRPF personnel.
The PM was in Jhansi to launch a series of developmental projects, including a defence corridor from Jhansi to Agra.
The opposition party also questioned how the terrorists had acquired Such a huge amount of RDX and rocket launchers.
Quoting reports of warning by the terror group prior to the attack, Surjewala asked, “48 hours before the attack JeM released a video warning of attack. There was an intelligence report also on 8th February. Why were these warnings ignored?”
In a series of tweets on its Twitter handle, the Congress said neither the Prime Minister, the NSA not the Home Minister has taken the responsibility for the failure of national security and attack on soldiers even after one week has surpassed after the deadly attack.
“Is our intelligence so weak under NSA Ajit Doval that terrorists were able to carry 350kg of explosives through the most protected highway in the country?” it questioned.
It further questioned how the terrorists had known the exact route that the CRPF jawans were travelling adding why no action had been taken against those responsible in the intelligence agencies if there was a breach from their part.
The Congress also wondered why the request for movement of the attacked troops was rejected by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
“Were the CRPF Jawans not stranded for one week on account of bad weather before the convoy movement? Would air transit not have saved the precious lives of our Jawans?” it asked.
The Congress had earlier on Tuesday attacked the government over the Pulwama terror strike, alleging “huge security lapses”, and asked PM Modi to “walk the talk”.
Such “huge security lapses” including the “ridiculous idea” of moving 2,500 jawans in 78 vehicles at one go, allowing any civilian vehicle on road simultaneously, ignoring direct written intelligence reports on Jaish suicide attack since December 2018,” Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi had tweeted.
Over 44 CRPF personnel were killed and many injured on February 14 in one of the deadliest terror strikes in Jammu and Kashmir when a Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) suicide bomber blew up an explosive-laden vehicle near their bus in Pulwama district.
The bus was part of a convoy of 78 vehicles carrying around 2500 CRPF personnel from Jammu to Srinagar.