The West Bengal Assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution condemning the terrorist attack in Pahalgam in which 26 men, mostly tourists, were killed by terrorists. The resolution, moved by Speaker Biman Banerjee, also thanked the armed forces for their response during Operation Sindoor and lauded their precision attacks on terror centres in Pakistan. The resolution, however, did not mention Operation Sindoor.
“This House expresses its profound sense of shock and anguish at the barbaric and inhumane attack perpetrated on innocent tourists in the Baisaran valley of Jammu and Kashmir on the April 22, which resulted in the tragic loss of 26 innocent lives, including three from West Bengal,” the resolution stated.
“This House commends the coordinated efforts of the different wings of the Indian Armed Forces in targeting with absolute precision and destroying major terrorist infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and places on record its gratitude and appreciation for their relentless efforts in protecting the pride and dignity of the nation. This House also commends the people of the country and especially of Jammu and Kashmir for their extraordinary display of unity, compassion and resilience in the aftermath of the attack; and … strongly condemns this brutal attack and at the same time salutes the discipline, dedication and courage shown by the different wings of the Indian Armed Forces in combating militant and terrorist activities and safeguarding the sovereignty of the Nation,” it further stated.
The BJP, however, hit out at the government for not mentioning Operation Sindoor in the resolution and accused the TMC of “undermining the significance” of the operation. “Why is there an objection to the word ‘Sindoor’ in the proposal? Why is the name missing?” Leader of Opposition in Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, said. His demand to include phrases like “terrorists targeted Hindus” and “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” in the resolution was rejected by the Speaker.
Adhikari claimed that TMC MLAs like Firhad Hakim, Narendranath Chakraborty and Udayan Guha made negative remarks about Operation Sindoor during the debate. Guha said defiantly, “Yes, I said it. I’ll say it again and again.”