Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday questioned the timing of Operation Mahadev, the joint anti-terror mission which killed three terrorists involved in the Pahalgam terror attack.
Suleman, Afghan, and Jibran—members of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) were killed on Monday.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha during a discussion on Operation Sindoor, Yadav accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led (BJP) central government of attempting to derive political mileage from the military action.
“Why am I not congratulating you on Operation Mahadev? All political parties had extended support to the government when the time was right. After all, why did the encounter happen yesterday?” Yadav asked.
Also Read: Who were 3 Pahalgam terrorists killed in Operation Mahadev? Amit Shah reveals names
The debate on Operation Sindoor started on Monday and will continue till Wednesday in Rajya Sabha.
The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister also raised concerns about the unresolved aspects of the 2019 Pulwama attack, in which 40 CRPF soldiers lost their lives.
“If the government wants, it can find out how that explosives-laden vehicle managed to enter. Why can’t you muster the courage to investigate that?” Yadav questioned.
{{/usCountry}}“If the government wants, it can find out how that explosives-laden vehicle managed to enter. Why can’t you muster the courage to investigate that?” Yadav questioned.
{{/usCountry}}His remarks came in response to Union home minister Amit Shah, who had earlier criticised the Opposition for its perceived lack of enthusiasm over the operation.
“I was hoping the Opposition would be happy with the elimination of Pahalgam terrorists. But they seem depressed,” Shah said in the Lok Sabha in the ongoing monsoon session of the Parliament.
Shah informed the House that Operation Mahadev was conducted jointly by the Indian Army, CRPF and Jammu and Kashmir Police based on credible intelligence about the presence of militants in the Harwan area near Dachigam National Park, Srinagar.
“In this joint operation, the security forces neutralised three terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack,” he announced.
Yadav further alleged that the BJP was attempting to politicise the issue by bypassing recognised political parties.
“No formal political dialogue took place between the government and parties regarding the Pahalgam attack. Instead, you tried to extract political benefits by selecting your own delegation members,” he said.