In a fiery parliamentary debate over India’s ongoing counter-terrorism operations, Union Home Minister Amit Shah lashed out at the Congress party, invoking the 2008 Batla House encounter to question the Opposition’s commitment to national security. His remarks, delivered during a special discussion on Operation Sindoor, have ignited political tempers and resurfaced a decade-old controversy that continues to polarize public opinion.
Operation Sindoor and the Pahalgam Attack
The immediate context for Shah’s speech was the government’s report on Operation Sindoor, a recent counter-terror campaign launched after a brutal terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir. According to Shah, three Pakistan-backed terrorists—allegedly linked to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)—were eliminated under Operation Mahadev, a focused sub-operation launched in Dara near Srinagar.
“I thought the opposition would be happy to know the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack are dead… but it seems they are upset,” said Shah, suggesting that the Opposition’s response lacked national unity on terrorism.
Congress Under Fire for Past Allegiances
Shah intensified the debate by recounting a controversial episode from 2008, when Congress leader Sonia Gandhi allegedly became emotional following the Batla House encounter. The operation, conducted in Delhi’s Jamia Nagar, had resulted in the deaths of two suspected Indian Mujahideen terrorists and the martyrdom of Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma, a decorated officer in Delhi Police’s special cell.
Referring to that incident, Shah said,
“If you had to cry, you should have done that for Shaheed Mohan Sharma and not the Batla House terrorists.”
He cited former Union Minister Salman Khurshid, who had once mentioned in an interview that Sonia Gandhi was in tears after the encounter. Shah’s remarks aim to revive long-standing criticism of Congress’s allegedly ambivalent stance on terrorism, suggesting that the party had a “soft corner” for extremist elements.
P. Chidambaram and the Pakistan Question
The Home Minister also took direct aim at Congress MP and former Home Minister P. Chidambaram, accusing him of attempting to “give a clean chit to Pakistan.” Chidambaram had reportedly questioned whether the Pahalgam attackers were indeed of Pakistani origin.
“When he says this, it means they (the Congress) are giving a clean chit to Pakistan,” Shah declared. The insinuation was clear: any questioning of the attackers’ nationality weakens India’s international case against Pakistan-based terror infrastructure.
Strategic Messaging or Political Diversion?
While Shah’s speech may rally nationalist sentiment and solidify the government’s image as tough on terror, it also signals a political strategy ahead of crucial state elections. By linking present-day operations to past controversies, the BJP appears to be sharpening its narrative of national security vs appeasement politics—a theme that has often yielded electoral dividends.
Congress, meanwhile, has denied the accusations and is likely to respond forcefully in the coming days. However, it remains to be seen whether the party can effectively shift the conversation from symbolic allegations to a more grounded debate on policy, accountability, and transparency in security operations.
Public Memory and Political Messaging
The Batla House encounter, though resolved legally with the conviction of those involved, remains a sensitive issue. Shah’s remarks revive not only a political rivalry but also a deeper public divide on the framing of anti-terror actions, the treatment of minorities, and the trust in law enforcement narratives.
Whether this approach will further polarize voters or consolidate the government’s image in the face of external threats is a question that will unfold in both the Parliament and the ballot box.
