Congress Deletes ‘Gayab’ Post on PM Modi Amid BJP Allegations of Pakistan Sympathy

New Delhi: The Congress party has deleted a controversial post from its official social media handle that allegedly targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a “Gayab” (missing) jibe following his absence at an all-party meeting convened after the Pahalgam terror attack. The post sparked a political storm, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accusing Congress of sending a message of support to Pakistan.

The now-deleted post featured an image of kurta-pyjama with the word “Gayab” written on it, accompanied by a caption in Hindi stating: “At the time of ‘responsibility’ – Missing”. The post was made after the Prime Minister did not attend the all-party meeting held to discuss the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 26 people and injured several others.

Despite the deletion, the image had already gone viral and was even shared by former Pakistan minister Fawad Chaudhry on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), further escalating the controversy.

Reacting sharply, BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia launched a scathing attack on Congress, alleging that the party was indirectly signalling solidarity with Pakistan. “There is a national political party that lives among us, but if we call it Lashkar-e-Pakistan Congress, it won’t be wrong,” Bhatia said. He described the Congress’s action as a “sinister and poisonous design” aimed at weakening India’s unity during a time of national crisis.

Bhatia further alleged that such content is posted “on the instructions of Rahul Gandhi” and accused Congress of adopting the ideology of “Sar tan se juda” — a reference to extremist slogans. He said this behaviour embarrasses the nation and emboldens India’s enemies.

Meanwhile, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh, speaking to ANI, acknowledged PM Modi’s absence from the meeting and said the Prime Minister “should have participated in the Parliament discussions.”

The political row continues to intensify as security forces remain engaged in counter-terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir following the Pahalgam attack, and national sentiments run high over the handling of terrorism and political responses.