‘Shielding terror’, BJP slams Mani Shankar Aiyar’s partition remarks
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday strongly criticised senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar for his remarks linking the recent terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam to the “unresolved questions of Partition”. The BJP accused Aiyar and the Congress party of shielding terrorists and continuing their appeasement politics.
Reacting sharply, BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh said, “Pakistani terrorists have brutally murdered unarmed, innocent civilians. The funeral pyres of the victims have not even cooled, and yet Congress leaders continue to display their affection for Pakistan. This is the height of appeasement.”
“Partition was a catastrophe in India’s history; two million people were killed and 20 million were displaced. The Congress is responsible for that tragedy. Mani Shankar Aiyar’s statement is like rubbing salt into the wounds of the Pahalgam attack victims,” Chugh added.
Aiyar, speaking at an event in Delhi, had said, “Partition happened, and we are still paying the price.” He questioned whether the Pahalgam terror incident was a reflection of the lingering, unresolved issues born out of India’s division in 1947.
The BJP was quick to seize upon Aiyar’s comments, framing them as yet another example of the Congress party’s unwillingness to call out Pakistan for its support of terrorism.
National BJP spokesperson Sandeep Bhandari also took to the social media platform X to lash out at the Congress.
“Good Cop, Bad Cop – Congress’s appeasement continues even on the PahalgamTerrorAttack! After Robert Vadra and Siddaramaiah, now Mani Shankar Aiyar refuses to blame Pakistan and the terrorists! Nothing has changed in Congress since 26/11 – still shielding the terror ecosystem, still showing love for Pakistan,” Bhandari posted.
Earlier in the day, senior Congress leader Rashid Alvi, strongly backing Mani Shankar Aiyar’s remarks, said, “It is absolutely true, the Partition of India was a mistake, and we are still paying the price. If the Partition had not happened, perhaps incidents like Pahalgam and other terrorist attacks might not have occurred. Millions of lives could have been saved.”
On April 22, a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam claimed 26 lives, sparking national outrage and heightening tensions with Pakistan. The Indian government has vowed a strong response and has implemented strict measures.