India News | BJD, Congress Condemn Pahalgam Terror Attack

Bhubaneswar, Apr 23 (PTI) The opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the Congress in Odisha on Wednesday condemned the terror attack in Kashmir's Pahalgam in which 26 people, including one from the state, were killed.

OPCC president Bhakta Charan Das alleged that the Pahalgam incident exposed "intelligence failure" and "failure" of both Prime Minister and Home Minister.

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He demanded a high-level probe into the incident.

"The BJP led a strong government at the Centre, but why the Hindu community has to sacrifice? It is a big question," asked the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president.

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"The BJP-led government is strong at the Centre, but it could not take measures to prevent a repeat of terrorist activities and eliminate terrorism from the valley," Das said.

The Congress leader also raised questions as to why the terrorists chose to kill people based on their religion. "Why Hindu community is targeted?" Das asked.

The OPCC leader also asked the central government to give a befitting reply to the people behind such an attack.

Denouncing the terror attack on innocent people, BJD leader and Opposition deputy chief whip in the Odisha Assembly, Pratap K Deb described it as a ghastly act.

"What is most unfortunate is that they (terrorists) attacked selected people. This has never happened before. This is a new trend which has started. The terrorists asking the religion of tourists before killing them is unknown in the valley and it is a new dimension given to terrorism activities in Kashmir. We demand strict action," he said.

Deb said this new trend seen on the April 22 terror attack appeared to have been imported. This should be dealt with firmly, he said. "The people on the order side of the fence think this as India's weakness and take advantage of the situation. The Centre should be vigilant to this aspect also," he said.

The Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly and BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday spoke to Sushant Satapathy, the elder brother of Prashant Satapathy, a resident of the state, who was killed in the terror attack in Kashmir. Patnaik conveyed his deep sympathies to the bereaved family and assured all support, a statement issued by the Leader of Opposition office said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)