The Congress party on Tuesday removed a controversial post it had shared on social media targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, after it received widespread backlash.
The Congress had shared an old photo of Modi with his body missing, and his clothes forming the outline.
The image carried an caption which read: “Jimmedari ke samay – Gayab (missing at the time of taking responsibility)”, an apparent reference to the prime minister’s absence in the all party meeting called to discuss the security situation.
The post drew a sharp reaction from the BJP, which alleged that it was a 'sar tan se juda' imagery and an attempt to weaken India.
BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said the Congress wanted to send out a message to Pakistan that the grand old party was with them at this time of crisis. He even called the opposition party ‘Laskar-e-Pakistan Congress’.
"On one hand, Prime Minister Modi and the brave Army have taken a vow to destroy the power which has looked at India with an evil eye, while on the other is terror power, demonic power... Pakistan's thinking and Congress' thinking," Bhatia alleged at a press conference at the BJP headquarters in Delhi.
Pakistan's former minister Fawad Chaudhry had shared the Congress post, with the BJP asking if the Congress party was "betraying" India to receive praise from Pakistan.
"'Sar tan se juda' (decapitation) has become the foundational ideology and character of the Laskar-e-Pakistan Congress," Bhatia said.
As the controversy raged, the opposition party removed the post from their X page.
The political wrangling comes even as India is weighing its counter-terrorism measures after the deadly attack in Pahalagam in which 26 civilians, mostly tourists, lost their lives.
On Tuesday, Modi chaired a crucial meeting with the defence establishment and reportedly said that the armed forces have “complete freedom” to decide the mode, targets and timings of India’s response.