New Delhi: Days after the terror attack in which 26 civilians lost their lives at a tourist spot in Baisaran of Pahalgam, Union minister for commerce Piyush Goyal has said that until “140 crore Indians don’t make nationalism and patriotism their supreme duty such incidents will continue to trouble the country.”

“Until 140 crore Indians don’t make nationalism and patriotism their supreme duty (param dharm) these types of incidents will continue to trouble the country,” said Goyal to reporters in Mumbai on April 26.

“I believe that India’s strength is increasing in the world. Some people are troubled by this. This is a last ditch effort of such forces. But India has enough capacity to give them a befitting response and there will be no such place left in India where such a terrorist will get shelter.

“The way in which Naxalism is being eliminated, in the same way terrorism too is being eliminated in the last six years and this may be a last ditch effort but it will not be forgiven in any way.”

The Union government had said in the all-party meeting convened on April 24 that the Pahalgam terror attack was a “lapse”. The government also claimed that local authorities were not informed that tourists were being taken to the area where the incident took place – in Pahalgam’s Baisaran valley.

Opposition leaders have today accused the Union government of “misleading” the meeting after a senior J&K government official was reported to have said that “police authorisation has never been sought for the tourist spot, which is open throughout the year barring snowy months” while referring to the Baisaran meadow where the terror attack took place.

Goyal’s remarks have been criticised by members of the opposition who have accused the minister of holding citizens responsible for the attack.

“Kiren Rijiju said that there have been some lapses, Piyush Goyal says there have been no lapses, India’s 140 crore people lack patriotism-squarely holding citizens responsible. There were terror attacks earlier as well there have been governments earlier as well, but no one has held citizens and their patriotism responsible. Piyush Goyal is a big minister,” said Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera.

It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt….. pic.twitter.com/45Suzr7sPf

— Pawan Khera (@Pawankhera) April 26, 2025

TMC MP Sagarika Ghose questioned Goyal’s remarks and said that first the Modi government fails to keep citizens safe and then “blames citizens for falling victim to cross border terrorism”.

“Is Shri Piyush Goyal now blaming citizens of India for the Pahalgam Terrorist Attack? That unless citizens become “patriotic” these attacks will continue? The Narendra Modi government first fails to keep citizens safe, does not say how it will protect citizens, instead blames citizens for falling victims to cross-border terrorism. Shameful,” she said.

DMK MP P. Wilson said that the BJP government has “finally blamed the people of India” for the terror attack.

“Started with blaming Pandit Nehru, Rahul Gandhi-ji, Supreme Court… Now 140 crore Indians. Zero responsibility. Zero accountability. Heights of incompetence,” he said.