By Kavita Mistry 
A group of four Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists, armed with AK-47 rifles and wearing body cameras, sprayed 26 Indian men with bullets in the Baisaran meadows of Kashmir’s Pahalgam on Tuesday last week.
Immediately after the attack, several BJP leaders—from Nishikant Dubey to Himanta Biswa Sarma—accused Pakistan of carrying out the attack. They also demanded that the Indian Army take action in support of Balochistan, which remains embroiled in an insurgency against Pakistan. Meanwhile, Dilip Ghosh had initially attacked J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for “security lapses” but seems to have changed his target since.
Referring to the SC order in December 2023, when a five-judge bench upheld the Article 370 abrogation but also directed the election commission to conduct the J&K assembly polls by 30 September 2024, Dilip Ghosh said, “Political parties that created pressure for the J&K elections and approached the court are also responsible for the Pahalgam attack.”
The court order by a five-judge bench headed by then-Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud had come after hearings on a bunch of petitions. The Opposition parties, at the time, were demanding the polls. Between September and October 2024, the J&K assembly elections were held in three phases, with the National Conference-Congress alliance forming the state government, post-elections.
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BJP leaders who rapped the SC
In the wake of the attack, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey blamed the Supreme Court and the CJI for “civil wars in the country”, followed by Agnimitra Paul, the general secretary of West Bengal BJP, voicing her support for him.
“The court is taking away the rights of the Parliament and making an overreach,” she said. “Nishikant Dubey has said the right thing. How can the CJI overrule the President of India? The President appoints the CJI, and the policymakers make rules. If the CJI and the Supreme Court run the country, there is no need for the Parliament.”
Subrata Pathak, a former BJP MP, had also come down heavily on the Supreme Court for its overreach in J&K’s affairs.
Earlier on Sunday, Dilip Ghosh, holding Omar Abdullah responsible for the attack, said, “Why was the Centre not informed about the opening of the tourist spot?” Now, our response should be such that Pakistan never dares to repeat this.
Blame game between NDA & Oppn
The ruling party and the Opposition have also been exchanging barbs over the Pahalgam terror attack.
Several leaders in the Opposition have questioned the intelligence failure of the Lieutenant General Manoj Sinha-led Unified Command, which usually keeps watch over the area. The forces were unaware of the opening of the tourist spot in Pahalgam, the Centre admitted at the all-party meeting on the Pahalgam attack.
Some National Democratic Alliance leaders have also raised questions about the security lapses. For instance, last week, Janata Dal (United) MP Devesh Chandra Thakur said, “The terrorists were roaming freely and killing people. Why was there no security? … It shows security lapses on our part.”
However, most of the ruling alliance leaders have blamed neighbouring Pakistan.
West Bengal BJP’s internal tussle
Cracks in the West Bengal BJP are fast appearing in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack. Dilip Ghosh has not taken too kindly to the reactions of Suvendu Adhikari, Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal assembly, and his burning of Pakistan’s flags.
“There is no need to burn flags of any country. I do not like it at all. If the government of any country creates unrest, or some people create trouble, the Centre is there to handle that,” Dilip Ghosh said during a party meeting. “Already, the Indian government has started action. The Indian Army has blown up the houses of the terrorists. India has severed ties with Pakistan. India has stopped the water supply to Pakistan. All the countries in the world are supporting Narendra Modi.”
Last week on Thursday, BJP MLAs led by Suvendu Adhikari burnt the flags while protesting against the terror attack outside the West Bengal assembly. Adhikari even threatened to take “revenge”, saying, “Instead of 26, we want 260 heads! Pakistan, like Gaza, must be razed to the ground … Be it the riots-hit Murshidabad, or be it Kashmir, their only aim is to target the Hindus selectively.”
“We burnt 26 Pakistani flags, and it was appropriate. Pakistan should be wiped off the map, as Israel did with Gaza. It should happen under PM Modi‘s leadership,” Adhikari further said, referring to the conflict in West Asia in which nearly 70,000 residents of the Gaza Strip and West Bank have, so far, died—mostly children and women.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)