Congress playing 'good cop, bad cop' on Pahalgam attack, accuses BJP's Pradeep Bhandari

NEW DELHI: BJP leader Pradeep Bhandari accused the Congress party of playing a "good cop, bad cop" game in their response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, citing the party's supportive stance during the all-party meeting while some Congress leaders made statements allegedly undermining the attack's severity and providing cover to Pakistan.
The accusation came after Congress criticized the Union Government over alleged security lapses that led to the terror attack in Pahalgam, which resulted in 26 casualties.
"Congress is playing 'good cop, bad cop'. On one hand, in the all-party meeting, they say that they will fully support. On the other hand, they make their leaders give statements that insult the victims and give cover fire to Pakistan," said Bhandari.
Bhandari specifically targeted Congress leaders from Karnataka who suggested that the terrorists did not inquire about their victims' religion, viewing such statements as diminishing the attack's gravity.
"They all know that the terror masters of Pakistan have carried out this terrorist attack in Pahalgam... Congress leaders of Karnataka say that the terrorists did not ask about religion. This is an insult to the statements of the victim. All this proves that just like after 26/11, the Congress party was trying every possible way to give a clean chit to Pakistan; under the same policy, today they are trying to give a clean chit to Pakistan," he stated.
The BJP leader emphasized the need for national unity during this time rather than political point-scoring.
"This is not the time for politics; this is the time when the country has to be united... The country is united and it knows that under the leadership of PM Modi, we will give a befitting reply to Pakistan," Bhandari added.
The Pahalgam attack has been noted as one of the deadliest in the Valley since the 2019 Pulwama strike, which claimed the lives of 40 CRPF jawans.
In response to the attack, India has implemented strong measures against Pakistan for its alleged support of cross-border terrorism.
The government has assured that both the terrorists responsible for the Pahalgam attack and their conspirators will face severe consequences.