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Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a scathing attack on the Congress in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, accusing it of propagating the “saffron terror” narrative and failing to grasp the essence of spiritual slogans like ‘Har Har Mahadev’.

In a pointed rebuttal to Congress veteran P. Chidambaram, Shah declared, “Who started talking about Hindu terrorism? I can proudly say before the people of the nation that no Hindu can ever be a terrorist.” He was responding to comments made during the ongoing debate on the Pahalgam attack and the government’s counter-terrorism actions.

Shah questioned Chidambaram’s scepticism about the efficacy of Operation Sindoor, stating, “Chidambaram sahib yesterday stated that it cannot be said that Operation Sindoor was decisive. I want to ask him whether the 1965 and 1971 wars were decisive. If they were, then why did terrorism continue to spread?”

VIDEO | Delhi: Speaking in the Rajya Sabha during the special debate on Operation Sindoor, Union Home Minister Amit Shah (@AmitShah) says, "Chidambaram said that it cannot be said that Operation Sindoor was decisive. I would like to respond to him, even though he is not (present)… pic.twitter.com/z7igljBLU5

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 30, 2025

‘Congress Views Everything Through Hindu-Muslim Lens’: Amit Shah

Responding to remarks by Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan, Shah criticised the opposition for interpreting everything through a communal lens. “Prithviraj Chavan has said that the government knows nothing except naming operations on the basis of religion. But the Congress doesn’t understand that ‘Har Har Mahadev’ is not just a religious slogan… They see everything from the angle of Hindu-Muslim,” Shah told the House.

He maintained that the BJP’s counter-terror efforts had no communal undertone and accused Congress of pushing appeasement and vote-bank politics at the cost of national security.

‘Appeasement Politics Fueled Terrorism’: Amit Shah Targets Congress

Shah alleged that the spread of terrorism in India was rooted in the Congress party’s “appeasement politics” and vote-bank-driven approach. “Congress has no right to ask the BJP questions about terrorism. The only reason terrorism spread in the country was because of Congress’ vote-bank and appeasement politics,” he said.

He also targeted Rahul Gandhi for questioning the Pahalgam encounter. “Yesterday, you (Congress) kept asking why the Pahalgam terrorists were killed? I ask why should they have not been killed? Because Rahul Gandhi was supposed to deliver his speech? It does not work like this,” Shah said.

Referring to Chidambaram’s earlier interview in which he questioned the origin of the Pahalgam attackers and demanded evidence that they were from Pakistan, Shah retorted, “Chidambaram demanded my resignation and questioned Operation Sindoor. He repeatedly challenged the evidence that those involved in the Pahalgam attack were Pakistani terrorists.”

“Today, I want to ask him—who was he trying to protect? Pakistan? Lashkar-e-Taiba? Or the terrorists themselves? Aren’t you ashamed of this?” Shah said, adding, “But by God’s grace, on the very day he raised these questions, all three terrorists were killed.”

Chidambaram had said in the interview, “The Government was unwilling to disclose what the NIA has done all these weeks. Have they identified the terrorists, where they came 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.”

‘Modi’s India Doesn’t Send Dossiers, It Strikes Back’: Amit Shah

Applauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, Shah remarked, “Earlier, we only kept sending dossiers, but Narendra Modi gave a reply to them (Pakistan) with airstrike and surgical strike… Khauf paida ho gaya (fear has been instilled).”

He said that under Operation Mahadev, the terrorists behind the Pahalgam attack were identified and neutralised. “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, I assure that Jammu and Kashmir will be freed from terrorism,” Shah said.

He also recounted India’s military response to provocations from Pakistan: “They demolished a gurdwara — we said nothing. They demolished a temple — we still said nothing. But India decided to respond by weakening their defence capability. That’s why, on May 9, the Indian Army destroyed 11 of their airbases.”

Despite Shah’s comprehensive remarks, opposition members staged a walkout, reiterating their demand that Prime Minister Narendra Modi respond to the debate. The discussion in the Rajya Sabha began on Tuesday.