UP Cong chief slams Centre over Pahalgam attack with 'lemon-chilly on Rafale' jibe

Lucknow, May 4 (IANS) Congress' Uttar Pradesh unit Ajay Rai on Sunday took potshots at the Central government over its response to the Pahalgam attack, holding up a toy replica of the IAF's Rafale fighter with a lemon-chilly charm tied to its landing gear, as he questioned the lack of strong action.

Interacting with IANS here, the Congress leader, asked about the lemon-chilly charm, said: "This has been tied by the government. The people want to know... those killed in the Pahalgam attack want to know, their families want to know if the Rafale has been brought to be tied with any charm or to perform its actual role. I have not tied this charm."

Responding to Shankaracharya Avimukteshwarananda's move of "expelling" Congress MP Rahul Gandhi from Hinduism, he said: "Rahul Gandhi is a devotee of Lord Shiva. He is a worshipper of Lord Shiva. He does not need any certificate from anyone. He is a bhakt of Shivji."

Rai, again questioning the government about the role of Rafale, directed his query towards Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the MP from Lucknow, calling for effective action to eliminate terrorism and wipe out terrorists.

He further criticised the Uttar Pradesh government, accusing it of resorting to "diversionary and communal tactics".

Rai's jibe at the government came 12 days after 26 tourists, including one Nepali national, were gunned down by the terrorists after being singled out on the basis of their religion.

PM Narendra Modi, in his first reaction to the Pahalgam attack, stated that the terrorists will be pursued to the ends of the Earth and will be identified and punished.

Home Minister Amit Shah on May 1, during a public address, warned the terrorists and their masters that the fight is not over and the Narendra Modi government will give a befitting and precise response to their cowardly act.

"Terrorists should not think they have won the war. This fight is not over yet. Chun chun ke badla lenge (we will take revenge on all terrorists)," he said.

The terror attack in Pahalgam’s Baisaran meadows was one of the deadliest attacks since the 2019 Pulwama blast.

Following the attack on April 22, HM Amit Shah quickly rushed to Srinagar the same evening and met the grieving families the next day. He also laid wreaths on the victims' bodies and visited the ambush site where armed men gunned down tourists after ascertaining their identity.

Many families, speaking to the media, shared harrowing details of their loved ones being singled out on the basis of religion and then shot dead at point-blank range.

--IANS

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