Kharge blames PM for security failure

GOING on the offensive against the Centre from his home base, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge has alleged a major security lapse behind the recent Pahalgam terror attack.

- PRAMODKUMAR VAIDYA @ Hosapete

Speaking at the 'Samarpane Sankalpa' rally held on Tuesday to mark the second anniversary of the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in Karnataka, Kharge claimed that 26 innocent lives could have been saved if the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government had ensured proper security through local police, the Border Security Force, or the Army.

Kharge reiterated his statement that Prime Minister Modi had cancelled his planned visit to Jammu and Kashmir on April 17 after receiving intelligence inputs. He questioned why similar warnings were not communicated to tourists, which, he said, could have prevented the tragic loss of life.

The Congress president also played down the recent skirmishes between India and Pakistan by calling it "chut-put". Kharge said Pakistan is a weak country and has no strength of its own.