New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the Congress, labeling its top decision-making body the “Pakistan Working Committee” after senior Congress leader and former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi questioned the veracity of the 2019 Balakot airstrikes carried in response to the Pulwama terror attack.
At a press conference in Delhi, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra accused the Congress of echoing narratives that undermine India’s armed forces and embolden Pakistan’s establishment. “From the outside, they are the Congress Working Committee (CWC), but from the inside, they are the Pakistan Working Committee (PWC),” Patra said.
Channi’s Balakot proof demand
The controversy erupted after Channi, now a Congress MP, publicly doubted the occurrence of the Balakot airstrikes. Speaking at a press conference on Friday, he said, “To date, I could not find where the strike took place, where men were killed, and where this happened in Pakistan. They say that they did a surgical strike in Pakistan. Nothing had happened. Nowhere was a surgical strike seen. Nobody came to know… I have always demanded proof.”
Channi’s statement came on the same day that the Congress Working Committee passed a resolution urging the Centre to act decisively against Pakistan in response to its alleged continued export of terror following the recent Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed at least 26 lives. The Congress also called for an inquiry into the security lapses surrounding the attack in one of the most heavily-guarded regions of the country.
Patra lashed out at what he described as a deliberate strategy within Congress to present contradictory voices. “The Congress spares no occasion to supply oxygen to the Pakistani army and terrorists and to boost their morale. While the CWC resolution speaks in one voice, Channi holds a parallel press conference and casts aspersions on India’s military actions,” he said.
Similar remarks by other Congress leaders
Channi later backtracked, stating that no proof was needed. However, the BJP maintained its offensive, with Patra alleging that such remarks consistently lower the morale of the armed forces and provide fodder for Pakistan’s propaganda machinery.
The BJP also pointed to a pattern of similar remarks by other Congress leaders, including Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah, Maharashtra MLA Vijay Wadettiwar, Himachal Pradesh minister Inder Singh, and Robert Vadra — all of whom, Patra alleged, have questioned aspects of India’s response to terror attacks or raised doubts about the nature of such incidents.
“It is more than a coincidence and is, in fact, a pattern,” Patra added, claiming that once briefed on the government’s strategies, Congress leaders “compete to convey the message to Pakistan”.
