NEW DELHI: Under attack from BJP for stalling a debate in Parliament on the Gurdaspur incident, Congress President Sonia Gandhi today sought to remind the party of Narendra Modi's attack on the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the wake of the 26/11 terror strike in Mumbai.
I wish to say a word on the charge that we lack statesmanship because we have stalled a debate on the Gurdaspur tragedy.
"I would like to remind those who have levelled this allegation at us about what happened on November 28th, 2008 when anti-terror operations were underway in Mumbai," Gandhi told a meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party.
She said at that time, all of a sudden, the then chief minister of Gujarat appeared in the megapolis and instead of supporting the Prime Minister indulged in grandstanding and criticised him. "Was this statesmanship?" she asked.
The Congress chief said that the party unequivocally condemned the Gurdaspur terror attack.
"This is a heinous act of wanton violence. When faced with such an assault, regardless of our political differences we stand united as a nation. We salute those who have sacrificed their lives. Our sympathies are with the bereaved families," she added.