Chief Minister Siddaramaiah Criticizes Modi's Counter-Terrorism Promise

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah criticized Prime Minister Modi's promise to identify and punish those responsible for the Pahalgam attack. He questioned the effectiveness of similar statements made by Modi after the 2019 Pulwama attack, alleging a central intelligence failure for the recent tragedy that killed 26 people.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah sharply critiqued Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday for his promise to bring those responsible for the Pahalgam attack to justice. Modi's declaration to pursue and punish terrorists and their supporters beyond their imagination was met with skepticism by Siddaramaiah, who highlighted the lack of results from a similar promise after the 2019 Pulwama incident that claimed over 40 soldiers' lives.

Siddaramaiah questioned the Prime Minister's earlier assurances, stating, "This happened even after he made the same statement in 2019. What did he say after the Pulwama terror attack? After that statement, 27 people were killed in Pahalgam by terrorists. He had then said he would wipe out terrorism. What happened?" His critical remarks came in response to a query about his knowledge of an all-party meeting held Thursday in New Delhi. Siddaramaiah confessed, "There were a lot of people around me, and I couldn't follow it properly," signaling a possible breakdown in central intelligence.

The tragic attack in Pahalgam on April 22 saw terrorists open fire at a popular tourist destination, killing 26 people, mainly tourists. Occurring in Kashmir, this marked the deadliest event in the region since the Pulwama tragedy, reigniting debates on national security and the efficacy of intelligence operations.

(With inputs from agencies.)