Vijayanagara, May 20 (IANS) Congress President and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, on Tuesday, described Operation Sindoor as a “small act of war.”

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi was supposed to visit Kashmir on the 17th. The intelligence agencies informed him not to visit the Valley, and he got the programme cancelled. If he (PM Modi) knew this, why didn’t he inform the tourists through the police when he cancelled the programme scheduled for the 17th?” said the Congress President while addressing Samarpane Sankalpa rally in Hospet town, held to mark the completion of two years of the Congress-led government in the state.

He said that if the Prime Minister had issued a warning, 26 lives could have been saved.

“Had you informed the public about it, these small incidents of war or the ongoing conflict with Pakistan, this could have been prevented,” said Kharge about Operation Sindoor.

Kharge further alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not utter a single word about the Pahalgam incident. “This cannot be tolerated. We are united as a nation. Caste and religion come later,” he said.

He alleged that PM Modi is being treated as more important than the nation. “There was information of threats in Kashmir, but he did not share information with the poor,” he added.

Not only PM Modi, the Congress President said that the Opposition also stands with the nation.

“PM Modi cannot take the credit for representing patriotism alone. Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed their lives for this country. Mahatma Gandhi gave us independence and laid down his life. This is the legacy of the Congress. And you (PM Modi) want to blame us. You file cases against us. You served notices in the National Herald case through the ED, CBI, and Income Tax departments. You want to bring us down. That will not happen,” Kharge claimed.

On the issue of representing the country abroad on matters of terrorism, Kharge said, “Even though the delegation was selected without informing Congress, we agreed without raising objections. This is how we stand with the nation.”

He added that Congress got the Constitution under the leadership of Ambedkar and Nehru. “Congress must protect it. Mere words are not enough. Everyone must be included,” he said.

Kharge also referred to a BJP minister targeting Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, a defence spokesperson, and alleging links to Pakistan. “What punishment should be given to that minister? She is being targeted just because her name is Qureshi. PM Modi should first seek their resignation. They should be removed from their positions,” said the Congress President.

–IANS

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