'Dog whistle aimed at Muslim votes': BJP slams Congress over 'gayab' jibe at PM Modi after Pahalgam attack

NEW DELHI: BJP on Tuesday strongly objected to Congress' "Gayab" jibe which accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of not taking responsibility for the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 lives.
This follows after Congress shared a poster featuring the word ‘Gayab’ (missing) placed over an image of a kurta, pyjama, and black footwear. The outfit appears to be worn by someone, but the figure has no visible face.
BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya accused the grand-old-party of using the "Sar Tan Se Juda" imagery and said that the "dog whistle" was aimed at its Muslim vote bank and a veiled incitement against the Prime Minister.

"The Congress leaves little doubt with its use of “Sar Tan Se Juda” imagery. This is not merely a political statement; it is a dog whistle aimed at its Muslim vote bank and a veiled incitement against the Prime Minister," Malviya said.

"It is not the first time the Congress has resorted to such tactics. Rahul Gandhi, on multiple occasions, has both instigated and justified violence toward the Prime Minister. Yet the Congress will never succeed, for the Prime Minister enjoys the love and blessings of millions of Indians," he added.
BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla also attacked Congress and accused it of speaking the language of Pakistan and such terrorist jihadists.
"Recently, just as a staff member of a Pakistani embassy in the UK took an action of beheading, the Congress party displayed an image depicting the beheading of Prime Minister Modi," Poonawalla said.
"This shows a mindset of beheading, and now the Congress party has started speaking the language of Pakistan and such terrorist jihadists. While opposing Modi, at a time when the country needs to unite, they are speaking Pakistan's language and showcasing acts similar to those adopted by terrorists on their social media handles," he added.
This comes a day after Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge accused the Prime Minister of putting party and politics above country by absenting himself from the all-party meeting convened to discuss the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives, and choosing, instead, to attend an election rally in Bihar.
"When our pride was hurt, the PM was delivering an election speech in Bihar.... He should bear in mind that the country is supreme; parties and religion come second. Everyone should be united for the country," Kharge said, calling Modi's absence a "misfortune" and a "shame."