Govt mishandled Pathankot terror attack: Rahul Gandhi

He criticised the fact that experts on terrorism and foreign policy were ignored while tackling the issue, and that it was left entirely to the National Security Adviser (NSA) to deal with.

Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi with party leader Sanjay Nirupam during the inauguration of an auditorium named after Murli Deora at the Mumbai Pradesh Congress Committee office in Mumbai on Friday. (PTI Photo)

A fortnight after the Pathankot airbase was attacked by terrorists, allegedly belonging to terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi Saturday said the central government has mishandled the attack. He criticised the fact that experts on terrorism and foreign policy were ignored while tackling the issue, and that it was left entirely to the National Security Adviser (NSA) to deal with.

On the day when the government launched the Startup India campaign, Gandhi said there is a huge contradiction that the Centre was attempting to push start-ups while being ‘intolerant’. For the success of such ventures, it is really critical to be open and flexible towards free movement of ideas, he said.

“You cannot prevent terror attacks but you can react in the right way. But when you let people who don’t what to do to deal with things, you get into a problem,” he told students of Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies Saturday morning.

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The NSA’s job, he said, was to formulate strategy and not tactics which the National Security Guards (NSG) could very well do, Rahul said, while drawing a contrast between the response in Punjab and the terror attacks in Mumbai in 2008.

During the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the UPA government had consulted all senior people and the government managed to isolate Pakistan internationally and marginalise them and even managed to ensure peace in Kashmir, he claimed. ‘The way it is being handled now is ad hoc with centralisation of power and with just three or five people,” he said.

Gandhi was also critical of what he termed was the rigid vision of the RSS and the BJP on India. “They have a clear idea of what the world should look like. But my experience is that this country requires openness and movement of ideas. You are taking away India’s most valuable resources and soul when you take away the movement of ideas.”

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