Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi (File photo)
A united Opposition Tuesday blamed the BJP-led government at the Centre for its “failure” to prevent the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims. Determined to put the government on mat when the monsoon session of Parliament begins Monday, the parties stacked up ammunition, including allegations of misuse of central agencies to target Opposition leaders, farmer suicides, fallout of GST and the “worsening” security situation in Kashmir.
“We call upon the government to use all the resources at its command to bring the real masterminds and perpetrators of this inhuman act to justice. Government needs to introspect as to why, despite advance intelligence inputs, was there a failure to prevent this attack,” leaders of 18 opposition parties said in a joint statement, while condemning the terror act as an “attack on humanity, plurality and diversity of India and on the Kashmiriyat”.
“This is a grave and unacceptable security lapse. The PM needs to accept responsibility and never allow it to happen again,” said Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. “The Centre has failed to provide protection to the people. It cannot do anything but push the common man to face danger. The central government is a total failure. Today, the country, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, is on fire because of them,” Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said in Kolkata. CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury said, “We demand accountability from the BJP government which has mishandled the state, and has now led to loss of innocent lives in Kashmir.”
After the Opposition meeting to decide the candidate for vice-presidential elections, leaders indicated that the attack, deteriorating security situation in Kashmir, “vendetta politics”, agrarian crisis, spate in lynchings and problems faced by people because of GST implementation would be used to confront the government in Parliament.
Speaking of CBI, ED and I-T raids at the premises of RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his family members, party leader Jai Prakash Yadav said his leader is being harassed because he is opposing BJP. JMM leader Hemant Soren said central agencies are being misused to target the opposition.
JD(U)’s Sharad Yadav said Opposition leaders should not confine themselves to meeting on issues like President or Vice President polls but should meet more frequently and come up with joint action plans on issues. It was decided that the Opposition will meet once a month.
