BJP, Opposition spar on Pulwama attack anniversary as Rahul Gandhi, Md Salim question delay in probe

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday triggered a political storm on the first  anniversary of Pulwama attack that killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel. Rahul questioned the delay in justice for the slain soldiers and implied that the ruling party merely used the attack for political gains.

Today as we remember our 40 CRPF martyrs in the #PulwamaAttack , let us ask:

1. Who benefitted the most from the attack?

2. What is the outcome of the inquiry into the attack?

3. Who in the BJP Govt has yet been held accountable for the security lapses that allowed the attack? pic.twitter.com/KZLbdOkLK5

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) February 14, 2020

The BJP, meanwhile, did not take kindly to these comments. Terming Rahul a “known sympathiser” of terror groups LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammed, the BJP alleged that the Congress leader chose to target not just the government but even the security forces at a time when the nation was paying tributes to those killed in last year’s Pulwama attack.

The ruling party’s retort came almost immediately after Rahul, while paying homage to the 40 slain CRPF personnel killed in the attack, asked who benefitted the most from the attack and what was the outcome of the inquiry into it.

BJP spokespersons slammed Rahul for his remark, alleging that it insulted those killed in the attack.

When nation is paying homage to martyrs of dastardly Pulwama attack, @RahulGandhi, a known sympathizer of LeT & Jaish-e-Mohammad, chooses to target not just the government but security forces as well. Rahul will never question real culprit Pakistan.
Shame on you Rahul! @INCIndia https://t.co/5M7dcWcxXU

— GVL Narasimha Rao (@GVLNRAO) February 14, 2020

Shahnawaz Hussain tweeted, “This is an insult to martyrs who sacrificed their life for the country. Congress has done this in past as well and people taught them a lesson for this blunder. Rahul Gandhi’s such remarks help Pakistan counter India on international platforms.”

Another comment that could serve as political fodder came from Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Mohammed Salim, who said that any memorial for the slain soldiers will instead be a brick and mortar reminder of the intel failure.

We dont need a memorial to remind us of our incompetence. The only thing we need to know is how 80kg of RDX got past the international borders to the 'most militarised zone on earth' & exploded in #Pulwama.

Justice for #PulwamaAttack needs to be done. https://t.co/s2lcDNEkBU

— Md Salim (@salimdotcomrade) February 14, 2020

On the first anniversary of the Pulwama attack, a memorial to the 40 slain CRPF personnel was inaugurated at the Lethpora camp in Jammu and Kashmir. Names of all the 40 personnel along with their pictures and the motto of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) — ‘Seva and Nishtha’ (Service and Loyalty) will be part of the memorial, an official said.