The Congress on Tuesday said that Jammu "becoming the centre of terror incidents" reflected the "strategic failure" of the Modi government and demanded that the government should take the country into confidence on steps it was taking to deal with the situation.
The party urged the Centre to inform the nation about the measures being taken to address the situation and called for a befitting reply to Pakistan after the surge in terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir.
This demand comes after an ambush by heavily armed terrorists in the remote Machedi area of the Kathua district of J&K. During the incident, it led to the death of five army personnel, including a Junior Commissioned Officer, and injuries to five others.
Speaking at a press conference at the AICC headquarters, Congress leader Deepender Hooda condemned the attack and asked the government to proactively disclose the steps it is taking in response to the recent terror attacks. "Even before this, in December 2023, four of our soldiers were martyred in Rajouri. There was an encounter in Kulgam, in which two of our soldiers were martyred." "There was a terrorist attack in Doda on June 26. On June 9 also, a terrorist attack was carried out on a bus," Hooda said, news agency PTI reported.
'Terrorist Incidents In Jammu Region Has Doubled Since January 2023': Hooda
Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, has emphasised that the solution to the continuous terror attacks should be strict action, not empty promises, Hooda also said. "Figures show that the number of civilians and security forces personnel martyred in terrorist incidents in the Jammu region has doubled since January 2023," he added.
Hooda further added that the center point of the terrorists has now shifted from the Kashmir valley to Jammu, which demarcates the strategic failure of the Modi government. The Modi government is not very serious about the ground reality in J&K and instead, it is more busy presenting its narrative to the country, he alleged.
"Whenever the Modi government introduces any scheme, it links it to terrorism and says that terrorism will be eradicated. When demonetisation took place in the country and the Article 370 was removed from Jammu and Kashmir, even then there was talk of elimination of terrorism. But now the government should think about the situation that has arisen," Deepender Hooda said.
Hooda highlighted that despite Pakistan nearing a "failed state" status, it continues to engage in such activities, underscoring the need for a strong response. He declared that the Congress Party, as a responsible opposition, supports the government in ensuring the security of the state.
On Monday, Congress criticised the terror attack on Army personnel in Kathua and stated that no amount of whitewashing, fake claims, hollow boasts, and chest-thumping can "erase the fact that the Modi government remains a disaster" for security in the Union Territory. Gandhi reiterated that the response to continuous terrorist attacks should be firm action, not "hollow speeches and false promises."