Who benefited the most, asks Rahul on Pulwama attack's anniversary

A vehicle, laced with explosives, rammed into a CRPF convoy in Jammu and Kashmir, taking the lives of 40 soldiers.

Orchestrated by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed, the Pulwama attack was the worst one to hit the Valley in decades. The suicide bomber was identified as Adil Mohammed Dar.

In response to the Pulwama attack, India conducted the Balakot airstrikes and demolished Jaish's camp across the border.

Since morning tributes for the bravehearts have been pouring in, but Rahul saw it as an opportunity to slam BJP.

He asked, "Who in the BJP Govt has yet been held accountable for the security lapses that allowed the attack?"

By asking who benefited, Rahul most likely referred to BJP's historic win in 2019 elections. The Balakot airstrikes steered the public view's in the saffron party's favor.

The Balakot airstrikes, conducted by Indian Air Force (IAF) on the intervening night of February 25 and 26, constantly featured in the Lok Sabha election campaign of BJP, despite the Supreme Court ordering political parties to not use army operations for electoral gains.

On May 23, BJP won 300+ Lok Sabha seats and some linked this thumping victory to the successful, but dangerous, operation.

While Rahul decided to put out a controversial tweet today, other politicians solemnly remembered the martyrs.

Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, who was the Home Minister when the attack happened, said that India will never forget their sacrifice and that the country stands united against terrorism.

PM Modi said the martyrs were exceptional individuals who dedicated their lives to protect the country.

At the Lethpora camp, a memorial will be inaugurated. The memorial will have pictures, names of the deceased soldiers, and CRPF's motto 'Seva and Nishtha'.

"It definitely was an unfortunate incident and we have learned our lessons now. We were always extra alert during our movement but now an extra layer of alertness has been added to it," said Additional Director General of CRPF Zulfiquar Hasan.

India and Pakistan weren't on best terms since the 2016 Uri attack, and it nosedived further, after the Pulwama episode. New Delhi shamed Islamabad on almost all international forums and exposed how the country supports terrorism.

The dedication worked and in May 2019, Masood Azhar, the chief of Jaish, was designated as a global terrorist by the UN Security Council.

Pertinently, the Pulwama attack shed light on the faults of intelligence agencies. And a year on, can it be guaranteed that such an attack won't happen again? However, the probability has been reduced.

"Several countermeasures have been taken including the use of mine proof vehicles, bulletproof vehicles, check posts, observers on-road," Advisor to J&K Lieutenant Governor was quoted by India Today.