Operation Sindoor debate | Talked of Nehru, my mother's tears but did not answer why was war stopped: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra slams Modi govt

New Delhi: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday took on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Pahalgam terror attack and said leadership is not just about taking credit but also taking responsibility and questioned why Home Minister Amit Shah still remains in his chair even after Manipur violence, Delhi riots and Pahalgam happened under his watch.

Claiming that US President Donald Trump announcing the ceasefire between India and Pakistan reflects Modi's "irresponsibility", she also said Shah listed members of her family from Jawaharlal Nehru and even "tears" of her mother Sonia Gandhi but did not answer why Operation Sindoor was stopped midway "when the enemy had nowhere to go".

Participating in a 'Special Discussion on India's Strong, Successful and Decisive Operation Sindoor in Response to the Terror Attack in Pahalgam' in Lok Sabha, she read out the names of the 25 Indian victims of the April 22 terror strike. While she identified them as "Bharatiya" and Congress lawmakers echoing her, BJP MPs shouted, "Hindu".

"On that day in Pahalgam, 26 people were killed in front of their families. All those people who were present in Baisaran Valley on that day did not have any security. No matter how many operations you conduct, you cannot hide behind the truth," she said.

"Leadership is not just about taking credit but responsibility also needs to be taken... For the first time in the history of our country, the war was stopped abruptly and the announcement of the decision was made by the US President. This is reflective of the irresponsibility of our Prime Minister. Our diplomacy has been unsuccessful," she said.

She claimed that Modi wants to take credit and he could even take credit for sportspersons winning medals in Olympics.

Hours after Shah launched an attack on the Congress, Priyanka said Uri, Pathankot and Pulwama terror strikes took place when Rajnath Singh was Home Minister and now he is Defence Minister. "Manipur is burning, Delhi riots and Pahalgam happened under the nose of Amit Shah. He is still in the chair. Why?" she asked.

“You talk of history, I want to talk of the present. You must take responsibility for the last 11 years...You spoke about Jawaharlal Nehru and even my mother's tears. You did not say why the ceasefire happened and why the war was stopped when the enemy had nowhere to go. My mother's tears fell when her husband was martyred. She was 44. If I stand here and speak about the families of victims of Pahalgam, it is because I know their pain,” she said.

She was referring to Shah’s remarks earlier in the House, "One morning, I was having breakfast when I saw on TV that Salman Khurshid came out crying from Sonia Gandhi's residence. I thought something serious had happened. Salman Khurshid said that Sonia Gandhi was crying over the Batla House incident. If she had to cry, she should’ve cried for Shaheed Mohan Sharma instead, not for Batla House terrorists."

"Did the government not know that thousands of tourists go to Baisaran Valley... why was there no security there? Why were they left at God's mercy? Was no government agency in the know that such a dastardly terror attack is going to happen and a plot is being hatched in Pakistan. It is a big failure of our government and intelligence agencies. Who will take responsibility for this? Has anyone resigned? They keep talking about the past but who will answer about what is happening in the present," she said.

Countering Shah as he said 27 terror strikes happened during 2005 and 2011, she said it took three years from 2020 for the Modi government to designate TRF, which is responsible for Pahalgam strike, as a terrorist organisation. "And between 2020 and 2025, there were 25 terror attacks in Kashmir," she added.