By Kavita Mistry 
New Delhi: A political controversy broke out Tuesday as the Bharatiya Janata Party came down heavily on the Congress for its “Gayab (invisible)” post, aimed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The post used ‘sar tan se juda (decapitation)’ symbolism to provoke communal tension, the BJP has alleged.
In a post on X, Congress put up an image of clothes but no body, with the caption, “Jimmedariyo ke samay – Gayab (At the time of responsibility – invisible)”. Though it did not name the PM, the post came on the heels of the party questioning the absence of Modi at the all-party meeting on the Pahalgam terror attack for a briefing of all leaders.
Former Pakistan minister Fawad Ahmed Hussain Chaudhry shared the post, saying, “Ooops, had heard about missing horns from the donkey’s head, but here, Modi has gone missing:) #NaughtyCongress.”
Addressing a press conference Tuesday, BJP leader Gaurav Bhatia attacked the Congress over the post, saying, “There is an Indian political party, which is a national party, but it would not be wrong to call it Lashkar-e-Pakistan Congress.”
“I am saying this with a heavy heart. This picture was posted by a verified handle of the Congress, giving a big signal to the enemy country, Pakistan. ‘Sar tan se juda’ has become characteristic of Lashkar-e-Pakistan Congress,” Bhatia said, highlighting that the thinking of Congress was like that of a terrorist outfit.
Bhatia said the Congress was giving a signal to Pakistan post-the terror attack that the party stands with Pakistan and not with its nation. “This is not an innocent post by the Congress party. It is a sinister, poisonous design trying to weaken the integrity of our nation and target the PM of the country,” he added.
The BJP leader said that Pakistan was using such posts to target India, stressing that PM Modi has sent a clear message to Pakistan.
BJP leader Amit Malviya described the X post as a political statement and a “dog whistle” aimed at the Congress’s “Muslim vote bank”. “The Congress leaves little doubt with its use of ‘sar tan se juda’ imagery. This is not merely a political statement.”
Calling the post “a veiled incitement against the Prime Minister”, Malviya said, “It is not the first time the Congress has resorted to such tactics. Rahul Gandhi, on multiple occasions, has both instigated and justified violence towards the Prime Minister.”
“Yet the Congress will never succeed, for the Prime Minister enjoys the love and blessings of millions of Indians. On the contrary, proverbially speaking, if the neck of anyone was slashed, it was the neck of Congress—now reduced to a headless hydra, flailing without direction,” Malviya added.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to convene a special session of Parliament on the Pahalgam terror attack.
Reacting to the BJP leaders’ statements on the ‘Gayab’ post, senior Congress leader and MP Jairam Ramesh said, “PM Modi was not present at the all-party meeting. We demanded, on 22 April, an all-party meeting on the issue. PM Modi should participate in the discussion [on the terror attack] in Parliament and tell us what happened and how it took place. There is no political agenda. The Congress has only one formula—Unity.”
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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