Trinamool Congress (TMC) National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the Narendra Modi led Central Government during a public meeting in Diamond Harbour on Wednesday, highlighting alleged lapses in the Pahalgam terror attack and questioning the lack of accountability for Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Intelligence Bureau (IB) Chief Tapan Kumar Deka. The three-time Member of Parliament also criticised India’s foreign policy, pointing to the absence of international support following the attack despite extensive diplomatic outreach.
Banerjee, who was part of the opposition’s delegation under ‘Operation Sindoor’ to highlight India’s fight against terrorism, expressed dismay over the government’s spending on foreign policy with little to show for it. “In the past 11 years, the Union Government has spent over Rs 2 lakh crore on foreign policies. After reaching out to 33 countries post ‘Pahalgam Attack’ in the last one month, how many countries have extended explicit support to India? How many countries have openly supported India-none!” he said.
The TMC leader reiterated concerns about the April 22, 2025, ‘Pahalgam attack’, noting that 55 days later, critical questions remain unanswered. “It is deeply concerning that in a democracy, neither the mainstream media, members of the opposition, nor the judiciary have stepped forward to raise these five critical questions before the Government of India. However, as a citizen committed to the nation’s well-being and as a public representative entrusted with accountability, I raise these five questions before the Government of India,” Banerjee stated. He further questioned, “How did the terrorists infiltrate, walk inside India with AK-47s hanging by their shoulders, and no one notices? They came 200 km inside and brutally killed our fellow citizens. Where is the accountability for this massive breach in national security?”
Drawing a comparison to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) demand for West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s resignation following the rape and murder of an RG Kar Medical College student in Kolkata in August 2024, Banerjee questioned why similar accountability was not sought for the Pahalgam attack. “If this was an intelligence failure, why was the Intelligence Bureau Chief granted a one-year extension, that too barely a month after the attack? Why was he rewarded rather than being held accountable? What was the compulsion?” he asked.
Banerjee also raised concerns about the lack of clarity on the terrorists involved in the attack. “Where are the four terrorists responsible for this brutal, religion-based massacre? Are they dead or alive? If they have been neutralised, why has the government failed to make a clear statement? And if they haven’t, why is there silence?” he demanded.
Banerjee sharply criticised the global response to the ‘Pahalgam attack’, particularly the financial support extended to Pakistan, yet again termed it as a failure of India’s foreign policy. “If we are truly a ‘Vishwaguru’ and the world’s fourth-largest economy, why did the IMF and World Bank approve $1 billion and $40 billion in financial assistance and long-term investments to Pakistan immediately after the Pahalgam attack? How did a nation repeatedly involved in cross-border terrorism not only escape global scrutiny but get rewarded?” he questioned. He further highlighted Pakistan’s appointment as Vice-Chair of the UN Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee a month after the attack, calling it a diplomatic failure. During a speech in Japan as part of a diplomatic delegation, Banerjee had earlier remarked, “If terrorism is a rabid dog, Pakistan is its vile handler.”
