All India Congress Committee vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policy had created scope for Pakistan to “misbehave” in Jammu and Kashmir.
Manmohan Singh’s 10 years of hard work to restore peace there had been destroyed by the Modi government in just one month.
A day after the Prime Minister said the problem in Kashmir could be resolved by embracing the people, Mr. Gandhi said: “When we came to power in 2004, Jammu and Kashmir was burning. We worked for 10 years to bring peace. We conducted panchayat polls, provided employment. When there is peace in Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan does nothing. There was no space for Pakistan to do any mischief.”
Mr. Gandhi was addressing a public meeting in Bengaluru after inaugurating an Indira Canteen, the Karnataka government’s subsidised food outlet that will provide breakfast at Rs. 5, and lunch and dinner at Rs. 10.
Mr. Modi, he charged, had created an “environment” of hatred and anger in Jammu and Kashmir. “Empty speeches and slogans are not enough. It is time Narendra Modi starts operating like a PM,” Mr. Gandhi said.
The biggest contribution of the Manmohan Singh government was to maintain peace in the valley, he said and lashed out at the Modi government’s approach to Jammu and Kashmir.
He also attacked the government’s foreign policy. “It has alienated them [foreign countries], one by one. For the first time, Russia is selling weapons to Pakistan. He [Modi] has alienated everyone, including Russia, Nepal and Sri Lanka.”
Quoting the Comptroller and Auditor General’s (CAG) report, Mr. Gandhi said the Indian armed forces do not have the requisite weapons. “It’s time Mr. Modi starts doing what he was elected to do. It’s time for the Prime Minister to answer questions the people of the country have been asking.”
Lighter moment:AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and senior Congress leader M. Mallikarjun Kharge at a public rally at the National College Ground in Bengaluru on Wednesday.K. MURALI KUMAR
Mr. Modi has created an environment of hatred and anger in Jammu and Kashmir. Empty speeches and slogans are not enough. It is time he starts operating like a PM: Rahul GandhiVice-president, All India Congress Committee/
