In a fiery speech during the Operation Sindoor debate in Parliament, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra sharply criticised the central government over the intelligence failure that led to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. She questioned how a high-profile tourist spot like Baisaran Valley could remain unguarded, allowing terrorists to carry out a brutal massacre in broad daylight.
Gandhi accused the government of ignoring key questions even as ministers and ruling party MPs spoke extensively on terrorism and national security. “Everything was discussed — history, national security, Operation Sindoor. But no one explained how 26 people were killed in front of their families. Why did this happen? How did this happen?” she asked.
Sharing the tragic account of Shubham Dwivedi, a tourist killed in the attack, Gandhi highlighted the anguish of his wife, Aishanya. “Children were playing, tourists were ziplining, sipping tea — and suddenly four terrorists emerged from the jungle and killed Shubham in front of his wife. For the next hour, they identified and executed 25 others,” she said. “There wasn’t a single security guard there. The country and the government had abandoned us.”
