BJP, Opposition spar on Pulwama attack anniversary as Rahul Gandhi, Md Salim question delay in probe

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday triggered a political storm on the first anniversary of Pulwama attack that killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel. Rahul questioned the delay in justice for the slain soldiers and implied that the ruling party merely used the attack for political gains.The BJP, meanwhile, did not take kindly to these comments. Terming Rahul a "known sympathiser" of terror groups LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammed, the BJP alleged that the Congress leader chose to target not just the government but even the security forces at a time when the nation was paying tributes to those killed in last year's Pulwama attack.The ruling party's retort came almost immediately after Rahul, while paying homage to the 40 slain CRPF personnel killed in the attack, asked who benefitted the most from the attack and what was the outcome of the inquiry into it.BJP spokespersons slammed Rahul for his remark, alleging that it insulted those killed in the attack.Shahnawaz Hussain tweeted, "This is an insult to martyrs who sacrificed their life for the country. Congress has done this in past as well and people taught them a lesson for this blunder. Rahul Gandhi's such remarks help Pakistan counter India on international platforms."Another comment that could serve as political fodder came from Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Mohammed Salim, who said that any memorial for the slain soldiers will instead be a brick and mortar reminder of the intel failure.On the first anniversary of the Pulwama attack, a memorial to the 40 slain CRPF personnel was inaugurated at the Lethpora camp in Jammu and Kashmir. Names of all the 40 personnel along with their pictures and the motto of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) — 'Seva and Nishtha' (Service and Loyalty) will be part of the memorial, an official said.