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The TMC had initially backed the Centre on national security and external affairs, but the party has now launched a scathing attack, questioning the handling of situation
TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee was a member of the all-party delegation that went to South Korea. (@AITCofficial/PTI)
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has launched a full-scale offensive against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Central government over the April 22 Pahalgam attack.
Initially, the TMC backed the Centre on national security and external affairs, but the party has now launched a scathing attack, questioning the government’s handling of the situation.
Following the Pahalgam terror attack and the subsequent military operation codenamed ‘Operation Sindoor’, the TMC had taken a unified national stance, supporting the Central Government’s decisions on matters concerning external affairs. Party insiders reveal that not only did the TMC back the Centre publicly, but it also nominated National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee to be part of the international all-party delegation that presented India’s position on Operation Sindoor globally. During the diplomatic tour, Banerjee strongly articulated India’s stance, emphasising that “nation comes first.”
However, 55 days later, TMC is now aggressively questioning the Central government’s role and responsibility in the incident, signalling a clear strategy to hold the ruling BJP accountable. Over the past 24 hours, Abhishek Banerjee has launched a targeted campaign by posing five pointed questions under the hashtag #5Sawal, which the party is now actively promoting through press conferences, social media, and public rallies.
It has been over 55 DAYS since the PAHALGAM terror attack. It is deeply concerning that in a democracy neither the mainstream media, members of the opposition, nor the judiciary has stepped forward to raise these five critical questions before the Government of India. However, as…— Abhishek Banerjee (@abhishekaitc) June 16, 2025
THE FIVE QUESTIONS RAISED BY ABHISHEK
- How did the terrorists manage to infiltrate Pahalgam?
- Why was the tenure of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) Chief renewed despite an apparent intelligence failure?
- Why have the terrorists not yet been arrested or neutralised?
- When will India reclaim Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK)?
- Why has the government not responded to the U.S. President’s claim that he persuaded India into a ceasefire with promises of trade—especially when the nation united across caste, creed, religion, and party lines to salute the sacrifice of the armed forces? Why were the sentiments of 140 crore Indians ignored? After reaching out to 33 countries post-Pahalgam in the past month, how many have explicitly extended support to India?
These questions were first raised by Abhishek Banerjee on Monday evening and have since been picked up by other prominent TMC leaders, including Mahua Moitra and Sayoni Ghosh. The party’s IT cell and ground-level units are pushing the campaign aggressively.
TMC sources confirm that these five questions will be a key element of the party’s upcoming election strategy. With bypolls scheduled in Kaliganj in two days, the party is expected to centre its campaign around these issues.
Party insiders emphasize that while the TMC initially stood with the Centre in the interest of national unity, the time has now come to seek accountability. Last week in the Bengal Assembly, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also blamed the Centre, calling the Pahalgam incident a “complete failure” of the government’s intelligence and foreign policy.
The BJP has hit back strongly. Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya questioned Abhishek Banerjee’s credibility, saying, “He was part of the Prime Minister’s delegation and attended the meetings—why didn’t he raise these questions there? Has he questioned Firhad Hakim on his controversial comments? What about Humayun Kabir’s communal remarks? Does he have answers for the situation in Murshidabad?”
As West Bengal gears up for the Assembly elections next year, political lines are being sharply drawn. The BJP plans to spotlight issues like Bangladeshi infiltration in Murshidabad, while the TMC is set to press the Centre on national security and diplomatic failures surrounding the Pahalgam attack.
Kamalika Sengupta, Editor, Digital East of News18, is a multilingual journalist with 16 years of experience in covering the northeast, with specialisation in politics and defence. She has won UNICEF Laadli Awar…Read More
Kamalika Sengupta, Editor, Digital East of News18, is a multilingual journalist with 16 years of experience in covering the northeast, with specialisation in politics and defence. She has won UNICEF Laadli Awar… Read More
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Kolkata [Calcutta], India, India
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