'Muslims feel insecure and vulnerable in India': Robert Vadra's shocking statement on Pahalgam terror attack

Robert Vadra

In a shocking statement, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s husband and businessman Robert Vadra on April 23 attributed the barbaric terror attack on civilians in Pahalgam's Baisaran meadows to growing insecurity and disenchantment among the Muslims.

The Resistance Front, an offshoot of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, has claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam terror attack that has claimed the lives of 28 civilians including two foreigners, so far. The attack was carried out by a group of terrorists on April 22 who emerged from the dense forests around the trekking paradise of the Baisaran meadows in the upper reaches of Pahalgam in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Vadra went on to say that terrorists resorted to checking the IDs and killing as per religious identity “because there is a divide that has come in our country between Hindus and Muslims". Questioning the basic tenets of Indian secularism, Vadra said: "Until and unless we are successful in sending the message that we are a tolerant society, giving equal weightage to all the religions, such a perception will keep emerging from India's border states that the minorities in India are vulnerable."

Vadra also touched on a very "concerning trend" — where victims are allegedly being targeted based on their religion. “Looking at identities and then killing somebody, that’s a message to the PM,” he said. “Because Muslims are feeling weakened. The minorities are feeling weakened.”

I feel terrible and my deepest condolences are for the people who have died in this terrorist act…In our country, we see that this government will talk about Hindutva, and the minorities feel uncomfortable and troubled…If you dissect this terrorist act that took place, if they (terrorists) are looking at people’s identity, why are they doing this? Because there’s a divide that has come about in our country with Hindus and Muslims," Vadra said.

“This will make these kinds of organisations feel that Hindus are making a problem for all the Muslims. Looking at identities and then killing somebody, that’s a message to the PM, because Muslims are feeling weakened. The minorities are feeling weakened…This has to be coming from the top that we feel secure and secular in our country and we will not see this kind of acts happening," Vadra remarked.