As MPs' team leaves for Japan, Congress and BJP trade barbs

NEW DELHI: Renewing attacks on the Modi govt over post-Pahalgam events, Congress on Wednesday termed the all-party delegations being sent on global outreach as govt's attempt to "divert attention from tough questions". The party also raised the "intelligence and security failure" behind the Pahalgam attack, demanding that home minister Amit Shah take responsibility, and that a special Parliament session be held to discuss the issues.

Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh said since 1950, MPs from various political parties used to go to the UN every Oct-Nov but PM Narendra Modi stopped the tradition in 2014. "But now that he is desperate and his image globally has been shattered, he suddenly thought of such all-party delegations of MPs to visit different countries to divert attention from the tough questions he is being called to answer," he said, dubbing the outreach to put forth India's stand against terrorism a "PR exercise".

Party's ex-servicemen department chairman Col Rohit Chaudhry (retired) alleged that Shah was responsible for the "lapse" behind the Pahalgam incident, and said he should "own up responsibility". He said the country's defence forces accomplished all their tasks with precision but Modi failed in his leadership. "Operation Sindoor was a complete military success, while Modi was a political failure," he said.