New Delhi [India], July 28 : BJP MP Santosh Pandey from Rajnandgaon on Monday strongly criticised senior Congress leader P Chidambaram over his comment that there is "no proof" that the Pahalgam attackers came from Pakistan and compared him to an owl that sees only in the dark, implying that the former Home Minister is blind to the reality of cross-border terrorism.
"Just like an owl can see only in the darkness of night but is blind in daylight, Chidambaram is the same way," Pandey told reporters, taking a swipe at the Congress veteran's political judgment and stance on cross-border terrorism.
His comments come in the wake of a political storm over statements made by Chidambaram ahead of a discussion in Parliament on Operation Sindoor--India's counter-response following the deadly terror attack on tourists in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam which took the life of 26 people.
Earlier in the day, BJP MP Anurag Thakur also slammed the Congress, saying "even Pakistan doesn't advocate for itself as much as Rahul-occupied Congress does."
Speaking to ANI, Thakur said, "Whenever it's about Pakistan and terror, even Pakistan doesn't advocate for itself as much as Rahul-occupied Congress does. What is the compulsion that Congress has to take Pakistan's side? Such a statement, coming from a former Home Minister, reveals the mentality of the Congress."
This comes after Chidambaram questioned the government's narrative on the attack, suggesting that the terrorists could be "homegrown" and asking for evidence to prove they came from Pakistan. He also criticised the government for not disclosing details about Operation Sindoor.
In a July 27 interview with the Quint news outlet, Chidambaram raised questions on whether the Government had taken any follow-up steps to prevent another Pahalgam.
"Where are the terrorist attackers? Why have you not apprehended them? Why have you not even identified them? Suddenly, a news item emerges that we have arrested two or three people who gave them shelter. Now what happened to that?" Chidambaram asked.
Further, the Congress leader who served as the Home Minister in the UPA tenure said, the Government was "unwilling to disclose what the NIA has done all these weeks. Have they identified the terrorists, and where did they come from? I mean, for all we know, they could be homegrown terrorists. Why do you assume that they came from Pakistan? There's no evidence of that. They are also hiding the losses."
Meanwhile, both houses of the Parliament were adjourned due to ruckus and sloganeering by opposition MPs. Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla adjourned the lower house proceedings till 2 pm, while the upper house is also adjourned till 2 pm.
Meanwhile, the proceedings of both houses of Parliament adjourned until noon today amid a ruckus over demands for discussions on various issues, including Operation Sindoor and the voter list revision exercise being carried out in Bihar.
Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla adjourned the lower house proceedings till noon amid sloganeering by the opposition as multiple MPs held banners and protested at the well of the house.
Before adjourning the house till noon in Question Hour, the LS Speaker said that opposition members were deliberately disturbing the proceedings of the house. He asked Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi to instruct members of his party not to display posters, as MPs have not been sent to Parliament for this purpose.
He said members resorting to such a protest were lowering the dignity of the house. The speaker said that members are not being allowed to speak in Question Hour, and the people of the country are watching. The house is being disturbed deliberately.
Birla, chairing the house, reprimanded the Opposition MPs for sloganeering inside the house.
"Respected members, do you want to obstruct the house? Do you not want to discuss Operation Sindoor? Both Gogoi and people from the government had come (for an all-party meeting), you said to do a discussion on Operation Sindoor, now you are interrupting the house. Question hour is the members' most important time," Birla said before adjourning the lower house.