'Congress acting as Pakistan’s PR firm': BJP’s Tejasvi Surya hits back over ‘gayab’ jibe at PM Modi

Tejasvi Surya's remarks came in response to a now-deleted Congress post that took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

BJP leader and Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya launched a scathing attack on the Congress on Wednesday, accusing the party of functioning as the "biggest PR agency of Pakistan" and forgetting the conduct expected of a responsible opposition.

The Bengaluru South MP also took aim at Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and other Congress leaders.(PTI)

Surya's remarks came in response to a now-deleted Congress post that took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The post featured an image of a kurta-pyjama and black sandals with the word "GAYAB" (missing), suggesting the Prime Minister was absent during times of accountability.

“Unfortunately, today in India, Congress is working as the biggest PR of Pakistan. This is very unfortunate. Congress has maybe forgotten how a responsible opposition must behave,” Surya said while speaking to ANI after paying tribute to 12th-century social reformer Basavanna on his Jayanti.

The Bengaluru South MP also took aim at Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and other Congress leaders in the state over their recent remarks on India-Pakistan relations. He said that their statements appeared to echo sentiments more aligned with Pakistan than with national interests.

“Some ministers in Karnataka and the CM are making statements like agents of Pakistan. Patriots of this country find this deeply unfortunate. Congress is behaving like the most irresponsible opposition the country has ever seen,” Surya added.

Siddaramaiah stance on ‘war’

Earlier on Sunday, CM Siddaramaiah clarified his stance, stating that war should be always be a "last resort" for any nation. He also highlighted "grave lapses" in India's intelligence and security systems, urging the central government to address these issues to prevent future tragedies.

In his post on X, he wrote, "I have observed the debates and discussions, both for and against, surrounding the statement I made about war. War should always be a nation's last resort -- never the first, nor the only option. Only when every other means to defeat the enemy have failed should a country be compelled to go to war."

"The horrific terror attack in Pahalgam, orchestrated by Pakistan-backed militants, has made it painfully clear, both to the people of our nation and to the central government, that there were grave lapses in our intelligence and security apparatus. It is now the government's solemn responsibility first to correct these shortcomings and to ensure such tragedies are not repeated in the future," his post continued.

The terror attack on April 22 in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam targeted tourists, killing 26 people, including one Nepali citizen. Following the Pahalgam terror attack, India has taken strong measures against Pakistan for its support of cross-border terrorism.