Rahul says govt’s J&K policy has created space for Pakistan
LASHING OUT Congress VP says his party’s efforts undone by PM
Rahul Gandhi flayed the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) policy of the Narendra Modi government on Wednesday, alleging that it has created a space in the troubled state for Pakistan to “misbehave”.
His attack on the government at a Congress event in Bengaluru comes a day after Modi, in his Independence Day address, reached out Kashmiris, saying abuses and bullets would not resolve their problems but embracing them would.
Rahul Gandhi was inaugurating the Indira Canteens in the city, modelled on the lines of the Amma canteens of Tamil Nadu, which will provide breakfast at ₹5 and lunch and dinner at ₹10. The move is being seen as an outreach programme ahead of the state Assembly elections early next year.
“He (Modi) has created an environment in Jammu and Kashmir of hatred and anger, and the only people who benefit from violence and hatred are the Pakistanis,” he said.
Claiming that he worked on the J&K issue with Manmohan Singh, who was the prime minis- ter, and leaders such as P Chidambaram and Jairam Ramesh silently without any “drama or tamasha”, he said their effort of 10 years was “destroyed by Modi in one month”.
Gandhi said the Congress-led coalition in 2004 inherited a government from Atal Bihari Vajpayee under which Kashmir was “burning”, and one of the biggest successes of the Manmohan Singh government was creating an environment of peace in J&K.
“We worked for 10 years to bring peace in Kashmir. We did panchayat elections, we did work on employment, we connected thousands of women there to banks. The reason was we wanted peace and harmony in Kashmir,” he said.
“We wanted to embrace the people of J&K and we wanted them to embrace us. We wanted peace there, also because when there is peace, Pakistan can do nothing in J&K... The space for Pakistan to do mischief there closes,” he said.
day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day speech, advocated resolving the Kashmir issue by peace and not force, the Shiv Sena on Wednesday taunted the Union government by asking it to first roll back Article 370 that gives J&K its special status if it wants to really solve the issue.
In an editorial in the party’s mouthpiece, Saamana, the Sena said Modi’s stand on Kashmir— that the stalemate can be resolved neither by a verbal war nor bullets, but by embracing people — has left not only the Sena, but the entire country speechless.
“We are surprised how no one had ever come up with this great thought. The government should now do away with Article 370 so that large groups of people can go to Kashmir and hug the people there. Soldiers should break their guns and hug Kashmiris. We welcome Modi’s speech,” the Shiv Sena said in a veiled taunt.
The party said former vicepresident Hamid Ansari’s statement about Muslims feeling unsafe in their country recently invited ample backlash from government leaders and people with their thoughts aligned with the RSS.
“The fear that Ansari expressed and the stand that Modi took in his Independence day speech are contrary to each other. Violence in this country is ongoing and if it is under way in the name of devotion and peace, then why Muslims, even Hindus will start feeling unsafe in this country,” it said.
IN AN EDITORIAL IN THE PARTY’S MOUTHPIECE, SAAMANA, THE SENA SAID MODI’S STAND ON KASHMIR HAD LEFT THE COUNTRY SPEECHLESS