New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a scathing attack on the Congress during his address in the Lok Sabha, alleging that UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi shed tears for terrorists killed in the 2008 Batla House encounter, but not for the policeman who lost his life in the same incident.
During his speech on Operation Sindoor in the lower house of Parliament, the Home Minister recalled an incident, saying, “Early that morning, I was having breakfast when I saw Salman Khurshid crying. I thought something serious had happened. He said Sonia Gandhi cried for the Batla House terrorists. If she had to cry, she should have cried for Shaheed Mohan Sharma instead.”
“They (Congress) have no right to ask questions now,” Shah added.
This remark stirred opposition leaders in the House, who attempted to interrupt Shah, prompting Speaker Om Birla’s intervention.
Intensifying his attack on the Congress, he said, “Yesterday, they (Congress) were raising questions about why there was no war. Today, PoK exists only because of Jawaharlal Nehru. In 1960, they gave 80% of the Indus waters to Pakistan. In 1971, during the Simla Agreement, they (Congress) forgot to ask about PoK. If they had secured PoK then, we would not have to carry out attacks on camps there now.”
“Pakistan is Congress’s mistake. If they had not accepted partition, there would have been no Pakistan today,” he added.
The Home Minister also questioned Congress for scrapping the Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002.”In 2002, Atal ji’s NDA government introduced POTA (the Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002). Who objected to POTA then? It was the Congress party. After coming to power in 2004, the Sonia Gandhi-Manmohan Singh government scrapped POTA. For whose benefit did Congress scrap POTA?” he asked.
He also accused Congress of being soft on China and maintaining ties with the country.
“Today, China is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and India is not. Modi ji is trying his best to secure India a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. Jawaharlal Nehru’s stance is responsible for this. When our jawans were facing Chinese soldiers in Doklam, Rahul Gandhi was holding a meeting with the Chinese ambassador. This love for China has passed down through three generations-from Jawaharlal Nehru to Sonia Gandhi to Rahul Gandhi,” Shah said in a blistering attack on Congress.
Earlier, during the speech, Shah confirmed that three terrorists – Suleman alias Asif, Jibran, and Hamza Afghani – who were involved in the April 22 Pahalgam attack, were neutralised by forces in Operation Mahadev.