WEBDESK: Samajwadi Party president and MP Akhilesh Yadav has raised serious questions over the Indian government’s handling of national security operations. During a heated session in Parliament, Yadav strongly criticised the BJP government, especially its timing of Operation Mahadev, which followed the Pahalgam attack and the controversial Operation Sindoor.
Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, Akhilesh Yadav questioned why the encounter under Operation Mahadev took place only now three months after the Pahalgam terror attack.
Yadav suggested that the timing of the operation may have been influenced by media pressure, rather than intelligence or strategy.
On 22 April 2025, five unidentified terrorists opened fire on tourists in Baisaran Valley, Pahalgam. The attack killed 26 people, most of them Hindu tourists. Eyewitnesses said the attackers were targeting people based on religion. A local Muslim horseman was also killed while trying to save the tourists.
Security forces claimed the attackers were armed with AK-47s and M4 carbines, raising concerns about how such weapons were smuggled in. The incident exposed major flaws in intelligence and state-level security.
“Why Now?” Indian MP Akhilesh Yadav questions timing of Operation Mahadev
On 28 July, Indian forces carried out Operation Mahadev, claiming to kill the alleged mastermind Hashim Musa alias Suleiman and two others near Srinagar. Home Minister Amit Shah told Parliament that Pakistani ID cards and chocolates were found on the bodies used as alleged proof of Pakistani links.
Yadav challenged these claims and called it a failure of intelligence and delayed action. “If there was prior intelligence, why did the government wait for three months to act? Are VIP events more important than citizens’ lives?” he asked.
He demanded ₹10 crore in compensation and a government job for each victim’s family. He pointed out that if thousands of security forces can be deployed for VIP events, why were there so few at a sensitive tourist site like Pahalgam.
Akhilesh Yadav’s sharpest criticism was on the role of the media. He questioned whether the encounter’s timing was chosen due to media headlines and public emotions, rather than real-time intelligence. “National security decisions should be made with verified intelligence and strategic planning not to match news coverage or create a political narrative.”
His statements have triggered fresh debate about the Modi government’s priorities, intelligence readiness, and response strategy.
Is the government more serious about cross-border claims than saving its own people at home?
