Attack on soul of India: Rahul Gandhi ​

New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday described the Pulwama terror assault as an attack on India's soul and said his party as well as the entire opposition was fully supportive of the government and the security forces. No amount of hatred or anger can do anything to the love and affection that India is built on, Gandhi said at a press conference along with former prime minister Manmohan Singh and senior leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and A K Antony.

"This is a terrible tragedy. This type of violence done against the most important Indians, our soldiers, is absolutely disgusting. I want to make it very clear that the aim of terrorism is to divide this country and we are not going to be divided for even one second, no matter how hard people try," he said.

Asserting that the terror incident was an "attack on India's soul", Gandhi said those who have done this should not get the impression that they can harm the country in any way. They should know that the country does not forget these things, Gandhi said, a day after the Pulwama attack.

Asked about the government's statement that security forces will be given a free hand, the Congress chief said, "This is a time of mourning. This is a time of respect. We are fully supporting the government and our security forces. We are not going to have any conversation other than the fact that our most beloved people have been killed, their families need us, and we are going to stand with them."