The BJP on Tuesday termed the Congress’s manifesto as full of “dangerous ideas” that could lead to the “Balkanisation” of India, and said the Opposition party “did not deserve a single vote”.
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, addressing a press conference at the BJP’s headquarters, said the manifesto’s provisions for Jammu and Kashmir looked like they had been drafted by the “Tukde tukde” gang, a euphemism for those whom the BJP felt were out to break the integrity of the Indian state, namely Maoists and ultra-Leftists.
Addressing a rally in T.N., BJP president Amit Shah questioned why the Congress wanted to “downgrade” the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in Jammu and Kashmir.
“In the recent elections, as also in the case of JNU and urban Maoists, Congress and Congressmen have always flirted with the Maoists as fellow travellers,” he said.
“At point No.30 at page 35, otherwise an innocuous entry which deals with the review of laws, rules and regulations. It repeals Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) which defines and then punishes an accused in sedition. Even for terrorists and hardcore criminals it underlines the principles ‘bail is the rule, jail is the exception’. It seeks to dilute the provisions of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA),” said Mr. Jaitley.
“The Congress has always been soft on terror. Late Shri Rajiv Gandhi introduced TADA. Later the Congress revoked it. It revoked POTA. Now it wants to go further soft on terrorism and separatism. There is only a lip sympathy in the assault required on Maoist violence, which Dr. Manmohan Singh had described as the greatest threat to India,” he added.
Speaking at an election rally in Thoothukudi, in support of party candidate Tamilisai Soundararajan, Mr. Shah asked the Congress to make its stance clear on the demand made by former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for a separate PM in the State. “In one country, how can you have two Prime Ministers. Isn’t Kashmir a part of India?”
