Rahul Gandhi on Pahalgam Terror Attack: "Those Responsible Must Pay a Price, PM Must Not Waste Time"

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday demanded immediate and strong action from Prime Minister Narendra Modi following the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, that killed 26 innocent civilians. Speaking at a press conference after the Centre's decision on caste census, Gandhi said the attack was not just an act of terror but a cruel massacre. He described it as an attack on the soul of India and said those responsible must face consequences. 

#WATCH | On #PahalgamTerroristAttack, Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi says, "I am saying that 28 people have been killed in cold blood. It is pretty clear who is responsible for this. The people who are responsible for this must pay a price. The PM has to take action.… pic.twitter.com/O0qIv0jf3W

— ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2025

"I am saying that 28 people have been killed in cold blood. It is pretty clear who is responsible for this. The people who are responsible for this must pay a price. The PM has to take action. The action has to be clear and it has to be strong without any confusion. The PM must not dilly-dally, must not waste time, must make it very clear that India is not going to tolerate this type of nonsense. So, he needs to act...He can act in whatever timeframe he thinks necessary but he has to act soon," Rahul Gandhi said.

Earlier in the day, Gandhi met the family of Shubham Dwivedi, one of the victims of the attack. Gandhi expressed concern over the loss of lives and the need for immediate justice.

Prime Minister Modi, who chaired a high-level meeting with senior officials including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, reaffirmed India's commitment to defeating terrorism. The meeting followed a Cabinet Committee on Security meeting held on April 23, which discussed the terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam.

In addition to addressing the terror attack, Gandhi also expressed support for the government's decision to conduct a caste census during the upcoming census. He urged the government to set a clear timeline for the exercise, citing Telangana as a successful model for the caste census.

Read Also | Lawrence Bishnoi Gang Targets Hafiz Saeed in Viral Post, Threatens Revenge for Pahalgam Terror Attack

"We had said in the Parliament that we will make Caste Census happen. We had also said that we would scrap the 50% cap, the artificial wall that is in place. Narendra Modi used to say that there are just four castes. Don't know what happened but suddenly after 11 years, Caste Census has been announced," Rahul Gandhi said.

"We completely support it but we want a timeline. We want to know that by when this will happen. This is the first step. Telangana has become a model in Caste Census and it can become a blueprint. We offer our support to the government in designing the Caste Census...There are two examples - Bihar's and Telangana's and there is a vast difference between the two," he added.

"I would like to reiterate that Caste Census is the first step. Our vision is of bringing a new development paradigm through Caste Census. Not just reservations but we are also asking central questions - be it OBCs, Dalits, Adivasis, what is their participation in this country? Through Caste Census it will be found, but we have to go ahead of Caste Census...We had said one more thing, Congress had raised one more point, it was mentioned in the manifesto as well --- Article 15(5) - reservation in private education institutions. This is already a law. We want NDA-BJP Government to begin implementing it," he added.

The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, chaired by PM Modi, decided on Wednesday to include caste enumeration in the upcoming census.