Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge launched a sharp critique of the central government during a rally in Karnataka on Tuesday, questioning its response to the recent terror attack in Pahalgam and taking an indirect dig at Operation Sindoor by referring to it as a series of “small-scale wars” with Pakistan.

Addressing the crowd at the Samarpane Sankalpa rally, Kharge accused the Modi government of failing to act on prior intelligence warnings that could have potentially prevented the April 22 terror strike in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which claimed 26 civilian lives.

“Prime Minister Modi was supposed to visit Kashmir on April 17, but the trip was reportedly called off after intelligence agencies flagged the risk of large-scale violence,” Kharge said. “If the government had access to such information, why wasn’t the public alerted? Those 26 lives could have been saved.”

Kharge further criticized the government's post-attack military response, referring to the air and artillery strikes under Operation Sindoor as “chhutput yuddh” — implying minor skirmishes — and suggested Pakistan had managed to counter India diplomatically, with indirect support from China.

He also commented on the government's decision to send parliamentary delegations abroad in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor to clarify India’s stance. “The Prime Minister didn’t consult the opposition before making the announcement, but in the interest of national unity, we didn’t oppose it. Our party members are part of the delegations because our aim is to safeguard the nation, not to play politics,” Kharge said.

Taking a swipe at the Prime Minister's absence from two recent all-party meetings, Kharge said, “While the country was mourning the deaths of 26 civilians, the Prime Minister was addressing a political rally in Bihar. If the opposition skips such meetings, we’re labeled anti-national. But when Modi doesn’t show up, it’s passed off as nationalism. Why this hypocrisy?”

Reacting strongly to Kharge’s remarks, BJP leader Sambit Patra accused the Congress president of undermining the efforts and sacrifices of India’s armed forces.

“Calling Operation Sindoor a small war is an insult to our military,” Patra said. “Our brave soldiers destroyed nine terror launch pads and eliminated over 100 terrorists. When Pakistan retaliated, we responded by severely damaging 11 of their airbases. Today, they’re reeling from the consequences. Dismissing this as minor warfare is deeply disrespectful to our armed forces and our country.”