The Congress opened with a 'gayab' left hook Monday night - an X post that seemed to label Prime Minister Narendra Modi 'missing in action' as India deals with the Pahalgam terror attack.
The BJP took the punch, rattled but not out, and kept coming, countering with a 'backstabber' right jab Tuesday evening. The party accused Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi of colluding with Pakistan - which the government says supported the terror strike that killed 26 - of 'betraying' his country.
The ruling party's national spokesperson, RP Singh, threw the jab, posting a photograph of a man in a tight-fitting white t-shirt and black trousers, with a Nehru cap on his head.
The man has his back to the camera. In his right hand, clasped behind his back, is a large knife.
The caption reads 'Pakistan's friend'.
The man is not named but from the dress, and context, the reference is to Rahul Gandhi.
पाकिस्तान के यार। pic.twitter.com/RxVqdFZy0s
— RP Singh National Spokesperson BJP (@rpsinghkhalsa) April 29, 2025
The 'Pakistan's yaar' swipe underlined the BJP's effort to accuse the Congress of 'conspiring' to win favour from Muslim voters by attacking Prime Minister Modi and his government. BJP National Spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia drove that point home by referring to it as 'Lashkar-e-Pakistan Congress'.
The jibe was unmistakable; The Resistance Front, a proxy of banned, Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, last week claimed responsibility for the attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir.
That Fawad Chaudhry, an ex-Pakistan minister, re-tweeted the 'gayab' jab at the PM fuelled the BJP's attacks. Mr Bhatia said, "They (the Congress) are trying to target PM Modi and give signals to Pakistan... that in the dastardly attack, Congress stands with Pak and not with its own country..."
The BJP leader also pointed to derogatory comments about Mr Modi in the Pak leader's re-tweet, and asked Rahul Gandhi if he was 'betraying' India to receive praise from Pakistan.
The bout, though, isn't over; the Congress will be rattled too, but expect a response shortly.
Behind it all the message is clear. The impromptu truce that followed the terror attack in Pahalgam - a truce emphasised last week by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, who told party leaders "this is not the time for politics... it is a moment for collective resolve", is over.
READ | "Not Time For Partisan Politics": Congress' Message After J&K Attack
The Congress kickstarted this picture war late Monday by posting an old photograph of Prime Minister Modi in a yellow kurta, white pyjama, and black shoes, but with the PM edited out.
Accompanying the photo was the short message - 'In times of need, missing'.
The post was seen as a reference to complaints Mr Modi skipped the all-party meet called by his government last week, to brief the opposition on the Pahalgam attack and India's response.
READ | "A Dog Whistle...": Furious BJP Shoots Down Congress' "PM Gayab" Jibe
Mr Kharge said he raised the question of the absent PM, telling reporters after the meeting, "The first question I raised... when the government convenes a meeting, PM should be present..."
The PM, instead, was at a government event in poll-bound Bihar, from where he fired a warning - in English, to maximise coverage - to all terrorists involved in the 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.
Ex-Union Minister Anurag Thakur recalled the PM'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.
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
"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 PM".
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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