Cong distances itself from controversial remarks by its leaders on Pahalgam attack - ‘nothing to do with these views’

The Congress party on April 28 dissociated itself from remarks by several party leaders on Pahalgam terror attack. The party reiterated that the views expressed by party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha and the Congress Working Committee should be considered the party's official position.

“Some Congress leaders who have had important positions in the past, senior leaders have expressed some views. The Congress Party has nothing to do with these views. We dissociate ourselves from these views. These are personal views,” Jairam Ramesh, General Secretary in-charge Communications of the Congress party told news agency ANI.

Ramesh also put out a post on X on this.

"The views of the Congress are the views expressed in the resolution of the CWC. The views expressed by the Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and LoP Rahul Gandhi in this all party meeting. As the situation evolves in this most sensitive of times, the Congress Working Committee, the Congress President, Lok Sabha LoP will be articulating the party's position," he said.

The Congress clarification comes after Karnataka chief minister (CM) Siddaramaiah, while speaking on the Pahalgam terror attack, said war was unnecessary. The CM also questioned the Modi government on the security in Srinagar before the attack.

Then, Congress Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Maharashtra, Vijay Wadettiwar, sparked a row by raising questions on the claims about the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people on April 22.

“The government should take responsibility for the Pahalgam terrorist attack. They (the government) are saying that terrorists killed people after asking them (about their religion),” Wadettiwar was heard as saying to news agency ANI.

The Pahalgam terror attack that was carried out on a day when United States Vice President JD Vance was in India and PM Narendra Modi was on a state visit to Saudi Arabia killed 26 people, mostly tourists in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir on April 22.

The Congress Working Committee (CWC) that met on April 24 strongly condemned the Pahalgam terror attack during its meeting held in New Delhi.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, a day after the Pahalgam attack, stated, “This is not a time for partisan politics.” Gandhi, at an all-party meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Pahalgam attack on April 24, asserted that it was “sheer luck that the number of people killed were below 30 and more people didn’t get massacred”.

(With agency inputs)