The BJP and the Congress resumed normal service Tuesday - the 'truce' after last week's terror strike in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam forgotten - with the latter accusing its rival of "taking orders from Pakistan" after the former seemed to question Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.
The BJP's attack on the Congress followed an X post late Monday - a photo (apparently) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a yellow kurta, white pyjama, and black shoes, but with the PM edited out. Accompanying the photo was a short message - 'In times of need, missing'.
The Congress' post was in reference to its allegations the Prime Minister has been 'missing in action' as the Pahalgam crisis erupted and unfolded. The Congress has been particularly critical of the PM not attending the all-party meet government called last week to discuss the attack.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said he raised the question of the absent PM.
"The first question I raised... when the government convenes a meeting, the Prime Minister should be present. Since he was not present, we said it was not right," he told reporters after the meet.
The PM, instead, was at a government event in poll-bound Bihar, from where he fired a warning - in English, to maximise coverage - to terrorists and handlers involved in the Pahalgam attack.
READ | "Am Telling The World...": For Warning On Terror, PM's Switch To English
The BJP fired a multi-barrel response to the Congress' photo, accusing the party of colluding with Pakistan and of underhanded tactics ordered by senior leader Rahul Gandhi.
Former Union Minister Anurag Thakur recalled Mr Modi's strong message - 'if you (Pak) spill one drop of our blood, we won't let a single drop of water (from the Indus River) flow' - and pointed to strict measures by the Indian government, such as suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty.
"But I don't understand this compulsion of the Congress and other opposition parties of speaking Pakistan's language and supporting Pakistan. Does their blood not boil when Indians are killed... do they not feel like taking revenge?"
BJP leader Amit Malviya accused the Congress of political skullduggery, calling the X post "a dog whistle aimed at its Muslim vote bank and a veiled incitement against the Prime Minister".
The Congress leaves little doubt with its use of “Sar Tan Se Juda” imagery. This is not merely a political statement; it is a dog whistle aimed at its Muslim vote bank and a veiled incitement against the Prime Minister. It is not the first time the Congress has resorted to such… https://t.co/WEgblPq2FX
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) April 29, 2025
"It is not the first time the Congress has resorted to such tactics," Mr Malviya raged, also accusing Rahul Gandhi of having "instigated and justified violence" towards the PM.
Not to be outdone, national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari accused the Congress of "taking orders from Pakistan", claiming a Pakistani politician had quoted the opposition party's post.
"It shows Pakistan is doing batting for Congress... Congress is doing bowling for Pakistan."
And yet another BJP leader, Shehzad Poonawalla, said, the Congress' post proved it had become what he artfully called 'Pakistan Prasth Party', play on the acronym of that country's Pakistan People's Party, whose member Fawad Chaudhury had reshared the Congress' X post.
One of the BJP's allies, LJP leader Chirag Paswan also came out to bat, pointing to the speech by J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, an on-paper ally of the Congress, as "the need of the hour".
The Congress' 'gayab' attack seems to signal the end of any stay, which is significant given the raft of high-stakes Assembly elections - Bihar this year and Bengal and Tamil Nadu in 2026 - approaching.
READ | "Not Time For Partisan Politics": Congress' Message After J&K Attack
It certainly contradicts the party's call for unity from last week; Mr Kharge had then said, "This is not the time for partisan politics. It is a moment for collective resolve to ensure justice..."
Pahalgam Terror Attack
Twenty-six people were killed in the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22.
The Resistance Front, an offshoot of banned, Pak-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, has claimed responsibility, but the five terrorists who carried out the attack remain at large.
A massive manhunt is underway to track them down.
READ | Identify All Pakistanis In India, Send Them Back: Amit Shah To CMs
Meanwhile, India and Pakistan have traded diplomatic restrictions, including suspension of visas and bilateral deals like the Simla Agreement and the Indus Waters Treaty, in the first round of responses.
The Prime Minister, who was in Saudi Arabia at the time of the attack, and rushed back 24 hours later, his plane avoiding Pak airspace, has said terror's evil agenda won't be allowed to win.
With input from agencies
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