In yet another display of selective outrage and political opportunism, the Indian National Congress has accused the Narendra Modi-led NDA government of “communalizing” the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. The tragedy, in which 26 civilians were brutally gunned down by Pakistan-backed terrorists, included both Hindu pilgrims and a local Muslim guide. Despite these facts, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) chose to focus less on Pakistan’s culpability and more on alleged political polarization by the BJP.
The Congress party’s reaction is not new—it fits a long-standing pattern. Historically, the party has often responded to Pakistan-sponsored acts of terrorism not with resolve, but with caution, evasiveness, or outright silence. The Pahalgam massacre was no ordinary attack. According to eyewitness accounts and official statements, the four terrorists deliberately sought religious identification before executing the victims—an act that clearly suggests communal targeting. Even the Congress admitted in its resolution that “the deliberate targeting of Hindus was done to inflame passions across the country.” And yet, almost in the same breath, it blamed the Modi government for using the attack to “sow discord.”
At an emergency meeting chaired by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, the party passed a resolution condemning the attack, while simultaneously casting aspersions on the Centre for what it termed “intelligence and security lapses.” The resolution noted that the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, especially Pahalgam, is under a three-tier security system directly controlled by the Union Home Ministry.
While questions of security preparedness are valid in any democracy, what raises eyebrows is Congress’s eagerness to politicize the tragedy by claiming that the BJP is using official and proxy social media to polarize the electorate. Coming from a party that has amended the Constitution close to 100 times—often to engineer vote bank politics—this moral high ground appears disingenuous at best.
At a press conference, senior Congress leaders KC Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, and Pawan Khera attempted to show unity and resolve, paying tribute to local ponywalas and tourist guides who laid down their lives. Yet, the undertone was unmistakable: the Congress is less concerned about Pakistan’s role and more focused on ensuring the BJP does not benefit electorally from the national outrage.
Let us not forget, this is the same Congress party which, barring the 1971 war, has failed to mount any meaningful response to Pakistani aggression. After the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, which killed over 300 people, the Congress-led UPA government dithered and dodged calls for retribution. More shockingly, former Maharashtra Chief Minister and long-time Congress ally Sharad Pawar recently admitted to suppressing the communal angle of a major Pakistan-sponsored attack out of fear of Hindu-Muslim clashes. Pawar’s confession is not just a moral indictment but also a chilling reminder of how political expediency can override national security.
The Congress also has a history of aligning with regional parties like the National Conference, which have repeatedly sought to internationalize Kashmir and adopt soft stances on Pakistan. Omar Abdullah’s party, for instance, has often seemed more invested in appeasing separatist sentiments than supporting India’s sovereign response to cross-border terror.
The timing of Congress’s outrage is also politically telling. With crucial state elections in Bihar and other states looming, any robust military or diplomatic action by the Modi government could tilt public sentiment heavily in the BJP’s favour. Having already lost three consecutive general elections (2014, 2019 and 2024) and steadily ceding political space across states, the Congress seems terrified of another electoral rout. The party senses that any renewed nationalistic fervour—especially in the wake of a terror attack—could energize the BJP’s voter base.
In this context, Congress’s call for unity appears less a genuine appeal and more a strategic smokescreen. Its fear is not of communal division, but of electoral annihilation.
The Indian electorate is no longer naïve. Voters today possess greater access to information and memory of past events. The Congress’s duplicity—condemning the attack while subtly whitewashing its ideological origins and geopolitical backing—is not lost on the people. When a party repeatedly undercuts the nation’s fight against terrorism to score political points, it forfeits the moral authority to speak about unity and resolve.
It’s also worth asking: What exactly does Congress want? To not identify victims by religion, even when religion was the basis of their murder? To not name Pakistan, even when Pakistani operatives are pulling the trigger? To not respond with strength, for fear of offending vote banks?
The Pahalgam massacre was not just an attack on individuals; it was an assault on India’s pluralism and sovereignty. While all political parties should rally together in moments of national crisis, selective outrage and strategic victim-blaming only serve to embolden our enemies.
If Congress continues to look at every national tragedy through the jaundiced lens of political gain, it risks becoming irrelevant not just electorally, but morally. The choice before it is stark: evolve into a responsible opposition or remain a relic of appeasement politics, increasingly out of step with the aspirations of a new India.
