Bhubaneswar: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader and Rajya Sabha MP from Odisha, Sulata Deo has come under sharp attack over her controversial remarks about the recent terror attack in Pahalgam where 26 tourists were killed.
Sulata’s statement, which reportedly questioned the authenticity of reports claiming that terrorists conducted religious profiling before the killings, triggered a political controversy in Odisha.
While BJP leader and Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan strongly condemned her statement, the BJD MP was not spared by her own party leaders.
“No terrorist is linked to any religion,” Deo told the media a day after the Pahalgam attack, dismissing reports of religious targeting as ‘speculation.’ Sulata argued that the brief duration of the attacks made it logistically impossible for the terrorists to inquire about victims’ religious identities.
Given the short time span in which the terrorists executed the crime, asking the religion of everyone was improbable, she said.
Reacting sharply to her remarks, Harichandan on Saturday said that such insensitive remarks about tragic incidents have no place in politics, calling for public rejection of leaders who make ‘inhuman statements’ about events that shocked the world.
Those who mock the sufferings of others do not deserve to be in politics and people should reject leaders with such mindset, the Minister said.
In Sulata’s own party, there has been sharp reaction to her remarks. Senior BJD leader and former Minister Debi Prasad Mishra said those who mock others deserve to be mocked. He said such conduct runs contrary to India’s cultural ethos.
