On the fourth anniversary of the Pulwama terror attack, as the nation paid respect to the forty slain CRPF jawans, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh restated the opposition’s regularly repeated allegation that the incident was the consequence of an intelligence failure on the part of the Modi government.
“Today we pay homage to the 40 CRPF Martyrs who died because of the blatant Intelligence Failure in Pulwama. I hope all the Martyred Families have been suitably rehabilitated,” he tweeted on Tuesday.
The former Madhya Pradesh chief minister’s tweet comes about a month after he made a remark about the same attack and the 2016 surgical strikes in Jammu and Kashmir at the final leg of the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra.
“In Pulwama, forty of our CRPF personnel were martyred. CRPF officers had requested that personnel be airlifted, but Prime Minister Modi refused. How could such a blunder occur? No report on Pulwama has been presented to Parliament to date “Singh stated this at a public rally in Jammu on January 23.
The Congress veteran had stated there was ‘no proof’ of the surgical strikes carried out by the Indian Army’s special forces after that month’s Uri terror attack on an army camp,’ and accused the Modi government of ‘spreading lies.’
The Grand old party had distanced itself from his remarks. Even Rahul Gandhi dismissed his remarks and said the army ‘does not need to give proof of its actions.’
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and several BJP leaders on Tuesday paid tributes to the CRPF personnel who lost their lives in the attack.
PM Modi tweeted, “Remembering our valorous heroes who we lost on this day in Pulwama. We will never forget their supreme sacrifice. Their courage motivates us to build a strong and developed India.”
Shah tweeted, “I pay homage to the brave soldiers who laid down their lives in the ghastly terror attack in Pulwama on this day in the year 2019. The nation can never forget their sacrifice. Their valour and indomitable courage will always remain an inspiration in the fight against terrorism.”
BJP chief J.P. Nadda said, “I pay a heartfelt tribute to all those brave hearts martyred in Pulwama on this day and recall their supreme sacrifice and dedication to our country. Their valour and selfless service to the nation is a source of inspiration for every citizen and will always be remembered”, in his tweet.
Pulwama attack
On 14 February 2019, a convoy of vehicles transporting Indian security personnel on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was attacked by a vehicle-borne suicide bomber in the Pulwama region of the former state of Jammu and Kashmir.
The attack killed 40 Indian Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officers as well as the culprit, Adil Ahmad Dar, a Pulwama-based Kashmiri youth. The Pakistan-based Islamist terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed responsibility for the attack. India blamed neighbouring Pakistan for the attack, but Pakistan condemned it and denied any involvement.
