Digvijaya Singh Blames 'Intelligence Failure' For Pulwama Terror Attack

Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Tuesday sparked a fresh row by claiming that a "blatant intelligence failure" was responsible for the death of 40 CRPF personnel in the Pulwama terror attack of 2019. 

A tweet by Mr Singh on the fourth anniversary of the suicide bombing of a CRPF convoy evoked a sharp reaction from Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan who demanded that the Congress's "DNA" be examined.

"Today we pay homage to the 40 CRPF Martyrs who died because of the blatant Intelligence Failure in Pulwama. I hope all the Martyred Families have been suitably rehabilitated," Mr Singh tweeted.

Mr Chouhan accused him of speaking Pakistan's language.

"I think Digvijay ji's intelligence has failed, it is his failure. He insults the country's Army and speaks the language of Pakistan. He tries to demoralise the Army," Mr Chouhan told reporters.

Seeking a response from Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi on the issue, Mr Chouhan said an investigation is needed to find out "who sowed the seeds in Singh's mind that made him speak against the country and the Army." "Congress's DNA should be examined as the party talks about uniting India but marches with those who talk about breaking India," the BJP leader further said.

It was surprising that a Congress leader had been constantly questioning the bravery and patriotism of the Army and speaking the language of Pakistan, he said.

Reacting to Mr Chouhan's barbs, Digvijaya Singh told reporters in Bhopal, "Can I not pay homage to the army personnel? Can I not ask the government what our intelligence agencies were doing? I am not asking the army but asking the centre." On Mr Chouhan's swipes linking him with Pakistan, the Congress leader said the BJP government had arrested some office-bearers of the party's IT cell and Bajrang Dal on the charges of spying for Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI.

"What happened to your (Shivraj Singh's) patriotism then? Why were they not booked for treason? They are now out on bail," he said.

This is not the first time Digvijaya Sigh, a Rajya Sabha member and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister, has raised questions over the Pulwama attack.

Speaking in Jammu and Kashmir last month, Singh had claimed that the BJP-led Union government gave no proof of the 2019 surgical strike in response to the Pulwama terror attack.

The Congress and Rahul Gandhi had, however, distanced themselves from Mr Singh's remarks.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)