Kharge blames government for "security lapse" over Pahalgam terror attack, says PM Modi should have attended all-party meeting

New Delhi [India], April 25 (ANI): Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday said the party had pointed to "security lapse" in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, at the all-party meeting convened by the government, and also conveyed its full support over any action taken against the perpetrators.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should have attended the all-party meeting as he would have directly heard viewpoints of opposition members.
"It is very important for PM Modi to be present in such an important meeting because the decision taken by PM Modi is final. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired the meeting, Union Home Minister Amit Shah was also there. Representatives from almost all the parties attented the meeting. When the ruling party members said that all the discussions would be conveyed to the Prime Minister, we replied that there is a difference between explaining the details later and being present on the occasion," Kharge said.
"How did the security lapse happen despite three-tier security? Lot of innocents have been killed. In the three days before the terror incident, almost 1000 tourists went there. Rahul Gandhi asked if so many people were there, then the police should have been there. It is a security lapse...The government said the focus of the meeting was on how to make the system efficient so that such incidents are not repeated," he added.
Kharge said there is a " glaring mistake of intelligence and security failure" and the government did not act promptly in response to the terror attack.
"All the parties agreed to the questions we raised. We will support the government's decision in the nation's best interest. We condemn this incident. We want to send a message that the nation is united," he added.
The all-party meeting was attended by leaders from several political parties.
Twenty-six people were killed in the terror attack in Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on Tuesday.
India has taken strong countermeasures against Pakistan for its support to cross-border terrorism. (ANI)