'Terrorists don't attack tourists, then who perpetrated Pahalgam attack': TMC MLA sparks row

Kolkata: TMC MLA Sabitri Mitra sparked a political row by saying that terrorists don't target tourists, while commenting on the attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam.

Mitra, the MLA of Manikchak in Muslim-dominated Malda district, purportedly made the comment on Sunday while addressing a rally.

"Terrorists don't target tourists. Terrorists have a bigger game plan, and they target security forces. Then who killed so many tourists in Pahalgam? What is their identity?" she said at the rally, a video of which went viral on Monday.

PTI could not independently verify the video.

The BJP was quick to latch on to the comments, accusing Mitra of "defending" terrorists.

"She claimed that terrorists never harm tourists and that they always respect tourists. This outrageous justification comes in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack. Instead of standing with the victims, she is busy whitewashing terrorism," BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya said in a post on X.

"Is this the official stand of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee now -- to sympathise with jihadis while innocent Indians are being killed?" he asked.

Calling the statement shameful and anti-national, he said India will never forgive those who speak in favour of terrorists.

In the face of criticism, Mitra claimed that her statement was misconstrued.

"I meant that the real perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack should be tracked to unravel the greater conspiracy, and the conspirators should be identified. I had meant that usually, terrorists don't target tourists based on previous records. Then why did such a dastardly attack happen? Who was behind it? That was my point as I talked about national security," she explained.

The Congress too branded Mitra "anti-national" "You said terrorists in Kashmir did not target tourists? How can you say this after all that has happened?" Congress spokesperson Soumya Aich Roy asked.