Kharge slams BJP's Pakistan stand, recalls PM Modi's Lahore visit and mocks ‘Vishwaguru’s dawat’

Congress president and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, on Tuesday criticised the BJP over its approach towards Pakistan. Speaking during a debate on the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor in the Rajya Sabha, Kharge accused the ruling party of maintaining double standards and questioned its past engagements with Pakistan.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surprise visit to Lahore in 2015 to meet then-Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Kharge said, “We have always condemned Pakistan. But while we condemn them here, you attend their ‘daawats’ and hug them. You have a habit of going places uninvited. None of the members present in this House went there. But over there, a friend, a Guru, or perhaps a Vishwaguru showed up.”

Kharge’s remarks came in response to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement in the Lok Sabha, where Shah alleged that Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi had visited Pakistan "many times." Shah challenged Gogoi to visit India’s border areas to understand the realities faced by soldiers and praised the recent counter-terrorism Operation Sindoor, in which three terrorists linked to the April 22 Pahalgam attack were killed.

Reacting to Shah’s comments, Gogoi said that his visits to Pakistan had taken place before Modi’s 2015 Lahore trip and added, “I went before Modi went there to eat biryani.” The exchange added to the heated discussions in Parliament surrounding India’s security operations and political leaders’ past associations with Pakistan.

During his speech, Kharge also defended the Congress party’s historical role in nation-building. “We have a long and proud history, my party does. The contribution we have made in building this nation is unmatched. All you have done is set up a factory of lies,” he said, criticising the current government’s record without naming individuals.