A heated debate erupted in the Lok Sabha during the Monsoon Session as Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi raised the issue of the Pahalgam terror attack, where 25 people were killed in Baisaran Valley on 22 April 2025.

‘They Were Indians’ vs ‘They Were Hindus’

While addressing the House, Priyanka referred to the deceased as "Indians", prompting strong objections from BJP MPs, who insisted that the victims were Hindus. This led to chants of “Hindu-Hindu” from the treasury benches, countered by “Indian-Indian” slogans from the opposition.

Priyanka, unfazed, said:

"I want to read out the names of those 25 Indians in this House, so that every member realises they were also human beings like us, not pawns on a political chessboard. They are martyrs of this country."

Targeting the Government

The Congress leader strongly criticized the government for the lack of security in the area and questioned:

"Who is responsible for the safety of Indian citizens? Is it not the Prime Minister, the Home Minister, the Defense Minister, or the NSA?"

She accused the government of evading accountability and added that despite a long speech by the Defense Minister, there was no answer to how such a deadly attack took place and why it wasn’t prevented.

Responding to Personal Attacks

Priyanka also responded to remarks made about Sonia Gandhi’s tears in the House:

“My mother’s tears were not political. They were shed when her husband was martyred by terrorists. I feel the same pain today as I speak for those 26 people.”

She concluded with a call for truth and justice for the victims and their families, emphasizing national unity over communal identity in matters of security and loss.