Congress uses 'Modi clock' to show BJP politicking after Pulwama attack

A week after parties across the political spectrum seemingly announced a 'moratorium' on mudslinging in the wake of the Pulwama attack, it appears business as usual has resumed.

On Thursday, the Congress alleged Prime Minister Narendra Modi was shooting for a film in Corbett National Park at the time the Pulwama attack happened (February 14). On Friday, the party released a graphic on social media to show BJP leaders were engaged in political events immediately after the incident.

The graphical image, which features the facing of a laughing Modi at the centre of a clock, refers to three events that happened immediately after the Pulwama attack.

The Congress claimed BJP chief Amit Shah was addressing a rally in Tamil Nadu at 4.30pm on February 14, an hour after the suicide bomb attack at Pulwama killed over 40 CRPF jawans. On the same day, Shah addressed another event in Karnataka at 8.30pm. The last event in the graphic was Modi flagging off the Vande Bharat Express at 10.30am on February 15.

The Congress introduced the post on social media, saying the BJP had an “old habit” of trying to derive political mileage from terrorist incidents and this had continued after the Pulwama attack.

On February 15, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi had announced the party would not raise any other issue but focus only on the Pulwama victims and extended all support to the government. While Modi had cancelled political rallies in the immediate aftermath of the Pulwama attack, he had referred to the incident during subsequent government events.