Bengaluru, April 24 The Karnataka BJP on Thursday slammed AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge for hesitating to identify and refer to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack as Hindus.
Speaking to the media after paying final tributes to Bharat Bhushan, one of the victims who was shot dead by terrorists in Pahalgam, BJP State President B. Y. Vijayendra emphasised the need for national unity.
"Leaving politics aside, every citizen of Bharat must come together and stand united at this moment," he said.
Vijayendra said leaders, including Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Kharge and RDPR, IT, and BT Minister Priyank Kharge, should speak with a sense of responsibility.
"If you look at Mallikarjun Kharge's post on the social media platform X, he states that terrorists attacked Indian tourists. It didn't occur to him to mention that the victims were Hindus," Vijayendra pointed out.
He alleged that the terrorists had identified the victims by their religion before shooting them.
"Yet, Kharge refers to them merely as Indian tourists. It's shocking that Congress leaders do not acknowledge the fact that the victims were Hindus," he said.
"This is the tragedy of the country. At least now, they must wake up. We need to send a unified message to the world. Every Indian must rise above politics and stand together," Vijayendra appealed.
He also commented on the statements of Siddaramaiah and Priyank Kharge. "Those holding positions of responsibility must issue statements carefully and thoughtfully," he urged.
Vijayendra questioned CM Siddaramaiah for criticising central intelligence agencies. "Hon'ble Siddaramaiah, you should be asking this question to senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi. The Congress party ruled this country for over 60 years after independence," he remarked.
"Why was Congress unable to eliminate terrorism? Instead of addressing this, politics is carried out. At this critical juncture, we must all unite and send a message to the world. Terrorism is no longer limited to Bharat, it has become a global issue," he added.
Vijayendra noted that whenever Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits other countries, he consistently emphasises the need to root out terrorism.
"The Pahalgam tragedy has outraged every Indian. This was not merely an attack on Hindus, but an attempt by terror outfits to break the unity and integrity of the nation," he said.
He further stated that the Modi government has taken the issue seriously.
Abrogation of Article 370 was a step toward peace, increasing tourism, and restoring normalcy in the region, he said.
Vijayendra claimed that the real intention behind the attack was to discourage tourists, both domestic and foreign, from visiting Jammu and Kashmir.
"The local youth of Jammu and Kashmir had begun to find employment with the return of normalcy and tourism. These terror outfits do not want that. They want the youth to remain unemployed, to be radicalised and recruited for terrorism," he emphasised.
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