Congress slams Pakistan minister for statement on Article 370, raps BJP for raking it up

Jammu: Congress leader Pramod Tiwari Thursday warned Pakistan against interfering in India's internal matters, slamming the country's defence minister for his statement that the Shehbaz Sharif government and the Congress-National Conference alliance were on the same page on the restoration of Article 370. He said that instead of giving such statements, Khawaja Asif should focus on protecting their citizens from "starvation and poverty".

The Deputy Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha also criticised the BJP for talking about Asif's statement in the election campaign, "It appears that the BJP and Pakistan's establishment are reciprocating each other's interests," he told reporters here.

"We warn Pakistan against interfering in India's internal matters. Instead of giving such statements, ministers of Pakistan should focus on protecting their citizens from starvation and poverty," Tiwari said.

The timing of the Pakistani minister's absurd statement and the BJP's reaction to it are a clear indication that there is a tactical understanding between them, the Congress leader said.

He tried to corner the BJP over matters related to Pakistan and mentioned the 2016 Pathankot terror attack and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stopover in Lahore in 2015 to meet then PM Nawaz Sharif.

Tiwari questioned the Modi government's decision to invite the Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to investigate the Pathankot terror attack, citing concerns about national security and sovereignty.

"That decision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi allowed Pakistani officials to access sensitive information about India's military installations," he said.

Tiwari criticised Modi's "uninvited" visit to Lahore to attend a family function of Nawaz Sharif. "That move was perceived as a sign of weakness and a lack of diplomatic protocol," he said, adding that such actions compromise India's stance on terrorism and undermine the country's interests.

Tiwari also strongly condemned the recent threatening statements made by BJP leaders and its allies against Rahul Gandhi.

"We have lost beloved leaders like Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi to terrorism, and now, BJP Minister 'Jai Chand' Ravneet Singh Bittu has labelled Rahul Gandhi the 'number one terrorist'. This is not only unacceptable but also reveals the fundamentalist and irresponsible language used by these leaders," he said.

"Shiv Sena MLA and BJP MLA have gone to the extent of threatening Rahul Gandhi, saying he'll meet the same fate as his grandmother. This is a chilling reminder of the violence and intolerance that's becoming increasingly prevalent in our country," he further added.

"As a nation, we must recognise the collective responsibility to condemn such hate speeches. The prime minister's silence on this issue is deafening and implies consent. By not speaking out against these threats, the PM is, in effect, endorsing this language of hatred," the Deputy Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha said.

"We cannot let history repeat itself. If anything happens to Rahul Gandhi, the prime minister will be held accountable. It is alarming that the PM's inaction suggests a lack of faith in democracy and its institutions," he said.

Pointing towards the situation in J&K, Tiwari said, "The BJP is solely responsible for snatching away the rights of Jammu and Kashmir's people." "Downgrading a full-fledged state to a Union Territory is a historic blunder and an insult to the people. It's clear that the BJP has no intention of granting statehood," he added.

"Historically, the Congress party has always stood for the rights of Jammu and Kashmir. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru granted full-fledged statehood to J&K, and Mrs. Indira Gandhi did the same for neighboring Himachal Pradesh. However, the BJP has snatched away this right, downgrading J&K to a Union Territory on August 5, 2019," he said.

He said that the BJP's intentions are clear - they want to rule J&K indirectly by keeping it as a union territory.

"Terrorism has risen in J&K, even in peaceful regions like Jammu, Poonch, and Rajouri. The BJP's inability to control this situation is alarming. We urge the people to hold them accountable," he said.

Pointing towards the recent statement of Engineer Rashid in which he stated that his doors are open for BJP, Tiwari said, "The cat is out of the bag." He, however, asserted that the BJP is not in a race to form government in J&K nor in a position to secure respectable seats. "All efforts of BJP to use proxies to grab power would be proved futile," he predicted.

Pakistan Defence Minister Asif has said that the Shehbaz Sharif government and the Congress-National Conference alliance in Jammu and Kashmir were on the same page on the issue of restoration of Article 370.

"They (the alliance) have made it an election issue. Pakistan and the National Conference-Congress alliance are on the same page in Jammu and Kashmir to restore Article 370 and 35A," Asif was quoted as saying in an interview.