Opposition accuses Centre of 'misleading' leaders at all-party meeting on Pahalgam massacre

New Delhi: Opposition on Saturday accused the government of "misleading" leaders at the all-party meeting on Pahalgam terror strike by insisting that the Baisaran meadow was open to the public before schedule without seeking permission or informing security agencies, while local tour operators rebutted it, saying the locality remains open most of the year.

At the all-party meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday, senior Intelligence Bureau and CRPF officials told the leaders that the locality was thrown open to tourists on April 20 without informing the security forces, while usually, it is accessible to tourists and Amarnath pilgrims only in June.

Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh posted on 'X', "It appears that the all-party meeting on April 24th, chaired by the Raksha Mantri (Defence Minister), was not briefed properly. Actually, it seems to have been misinformed."

Congress Media and Publicity Department Chairman Pawan Khera said, "BJP lied to the all-party meeting."

Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha Deputy Leader Sagarika Ghose asked why the Modi government and Home Minister Amit Shah, who also attended the all-party meeting, "misled the Opposition" by stating that no police permission was sought to open the Baisaran meadow where the massacre took place.

"Baisaran meadow has been open since 2020. It is only closed during the months when there is snow. The fact is that the government and Shah are trying to pass the buck. The law and order in Jammu and Kashmir is under the Lieutenant Governor, who is controlled by the Ministry of Home Affairs. Amit Shah cannot escape accountability," she said.

CPI(ML)L General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said they were not invited to the meeting. "From the news reports it is clear that the government was evasive in acknowledging the lapses, let alone taking any responsibility for the loss of so many lives," he said.

CPI Rajya Sabha floor leader P Sandosh Kumar alleged that the Modi government was misleading the leaders. He also questioned the logic of the government's claim on not informed about the opening of the meadow to tourists and claimed it showed "intelligence failure".