‘Event management’: Congress leader Udit Raj questions timing of ‘Operation Mahadev’; asks why not earlier? | India News
NEW DELHI: Congress leader Udit Raj suggested on Tuesday that the timing of the encounter with the terrorist involved in the Pahalgam attack could have been orchestrated to coincide with the Parliament debate on Operation Sindoor, calling it “event management.”Speaking to news agency ANI, Udit Raj speculated that the terrorist might have already been in custody, with the armed forces instructed to delay action until the day of the debate.“They have tied the hands of the army many times—otherwise, Pakistan would have been in a very bad state by now. Our army could have possibly even taken PoK. So, it’s very likely that the army was told not to act earlier, and the terrorist was killed today—because the army is under pressure from them,” Raj said.He added, “Even though the army is doing excellent work, when one army officer said they weren’t allowed to take action, and then today the terrorist involved in the Pahalgam attack was neutralised—it raises the possibility that this was timed to coincide with the Parliament debate on Operation Sindoor. Maybe the terrorist was already in custody and they waited to kill him today as part of event management. Why wasn’t he killed earlier? Why wasn’t he caught before? Where are the rest?”This comes after Indian Army’s elite para commandos on Monday gunned down the alleged mastermind of the Pahalgam terror attack, along with two of his associates, in an encounter in a forest area on the outskirts of Srinagar in Kashmir.Officials said Sulieman alias Asif, believed to be the mastermind of the April 22 attack, was killed after the security forces launched a surprise operation, codenamed ‘Operation Mahadev’, following a technical signal indicating the use of a satellite phone by the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack.Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha began discussion on Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam. The debate was initiated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.Singh took a swipe at the opposition during the discussion in the Lok Sabha, stating that focus must not remain on small issues when aiming to achieve a greater goal, as it could divert attention from national security.“When the aim is to go higher, we should not pay attention to small issues, because focusing on comparatively smaller matters can divert attention from national security,” Singh said while addressing the lower house of Parliament.The Rajya Sabha will meet again today for a 16-hour discussion on Operation Sindoor. According to sources, Rajnath Singh and S. Jaishankar will be among the ministers participating in the discussion in the Rajya Sabha. PM Modi is also expected to intervene in the discussion.The largest opposition party, Congress, has been allotted approximately two hours for the discussion. Party president Mallikarjun Kharge will open the debate for them.
