Congress shamelessly endorsing Azadi in Kashmir Says PM Modi
BANGALURU/ NEW DELHI : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday attacked senior Congress leader P Chidambaram over his statement on autonomy in Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing a rally in Karnataka, the Prime Minister asked why Congress leaders were giving support to those who want “Azadi” in Jammu and Kashmir.Modi accused the Opposition party of supporting separatist voices in Jammu and Kashmir and called it an “insult” to the bravery and sacrifice of soldiers in the Valley.
Without naming Chidambaram, the Prime Minister said, “Yesterday’s statement of a Congress leader on Kashmir clearly shows how the party feels on surgical strikes and bravery of our Army.” Accusing the opposition party of changing its stand on the issue, PM Modi said that those who were in power till recently have now gone for u-turn and giving statements shamelessly. “They are echoing the voices of Azadi in Kashmir,” he added.
Addressing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers at the HAL Airport premises in Bengaluru, the Prime Minister asked, “Why are Congress leaders lending their voice to those who want azadi in Kashmir? This is an insult to our brave soldiers.” Mr. Modi also accused the Congress of taking a U-turn and lending its voice for the support of “Kashmiri azadi,” a language spoken by Pakistan.
“Yesterday’s [Saturday] statement of a Congress leader on Kashmir clearly shows how the party feels on surgical strikes and bravery of our Army,” Mr. Modi said.Though the Prime Minister did not name any individual Congress leader, it was obvious that his comments were in response to a statement by former Home Minister and senior Congress leader P. Chidamabram backing the demand for greater autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir.
Accusing the Congress leaders of practising double standards, Mr. Modi said, “People, who were in power yesterday, those people are taking complete U-turn. Shamelessly making these statements.” Mr. Modi also asked, “What are these, who politicise the sacrifices of soldiers? Can these people do good for the country?”
This came even as the Congress distanced itself from the statement of Chidambaram on Kashmir. The party asserted that Kashmir is an integral part of India and will always remain so. Chidambaram had on Saturday said that the government’s move to appoint an interlocutor for Jammu and Kashmir was a “diversionary tactic”, adding that the Azadi demand meant people demanded autonomy and that should be seriously examined.
Responding to the Prime Minister’s comments, Mr. Chidambaram said, “It is obvious the Prime Minister has not read the whole answer to the question put to me on J&K.” He accused Mr. Modi of “imagining a ghost and attacking it.” “Neither the Congress nor I criticised the ‘surgical strikes.’ We pointed out that these were cross-border actions and such actions have been done in the past as well,” he added.(With Agency Inputs ).
