Former Union Minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram on Tuesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi skipped the event in Parliament to pay homage to those who were killed in the 2001 attack and went to Varanasi.
"PM has such great respect for Parliament that he will skip the December 13 homage to martyred security staff. He will skip everything and go to Varanasi. You will only find him in places like Varanasi and Ayodhya, not in the Parliament," Mr Chidambaram said.
PM Modi undertook a two-day visit to his parliamentary constituency Varanasi where he inaugurated phase 1 of the newly-constructed Kashi Vishwanath Dham on Monday and also attended a conclave of chief ministers from BJP-ruled states on Tuesday.
On December 13, 2001, five heavily-armed terrorists belonging to terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), went inside the Parliament complex in New Delhi and opened fire indiscriminately.
Around 14 people, including security personnel and one civilian, were killed in the attack. The terror strike took place around 40 minutes after Parliament was adjourned and about 100 members were present in the building.
Independence Day 2024 Live Updates: PM Modi Addresses Nation From Red Fort US Welcomes India's Engagement In War Between Russia, Ukraine Independence Day 2024: When And Where To Watch PM Narendra Modi's Speech Vandalism At Kolkata Hospital Where Doctor Was Raped, Tear Gas Fired 150 mg Semen In Kolkata Doctor's Body, Suspect Gang-Rape: Parents To Court 2 French Rafale Jets Collide Mid-Air, Instructor, Pilot Missing Trump Speaks With Netanyahu Over Gaza Truce And Hostage Deal, Says Sources Indian-Origin Man Jailed For Helping Friend In Singapore Football Scam Professor 'Digitally Arrested' For 12 Days By Scammers, Loses Rs 12 Lakh Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.