BJP criticises Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah for 'no need for war with Pak' remark, calls him 'Wazir-e-Ala'

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s remarks opposing a war against Pakistan in response to the Pahalgam terrorist attack drew a sharp reaction from the BJP on Sunday, with the party calling the Congress leader ‘Pakistan Ratna’ and addressing him as Wazir-e-Ala, the Urdu term for Chief Minister.

Reacting to the terror strike by Pak-based outfit that killed 26 people, Siddaramaiah said he felt there was “no need for a war” with Pakistan. As the row escalated over this remark, the Karnataka Chief Minister on Sunday clarified that he did not completely rule out war, but meant that it should be considered only as a last resort.

“War should always be a nation's last resort – never the first, nor the only option. Only when every other means



to defeat the enemy has failed, should a country be compelled to go to war,” he tweeted, responding to the row.

However, the Congress leader also blamed the Centre for the attack, alleging an intelligence failure and a failure to prevent the incident. He asserted that it was the government's solemn responsibility to address these shortcomings.

“The horrific terror attack in Pahalgam, orchestrated by Pakistan-backed militants, has made it painfully clear -- both to the people of our nation and to the central government -- that there were grave lapses in our intelligence and security apparatus. It is now the government’s solemn responsibility to first correct these shortcomings and to ensure such tragedies are not repeated in the future,” he said.