Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has said those speaking Pakistan's language while living in India should be charged with treason and put behind bars as he dubbed the statements of opposition leaders Vijay Wadettiwar and Farooq Abdullah their frustration about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rise.
"These people are speaking Pakistan's language. Is it not treason against the nation? They are not able to tolerate the wave of patriotism that has spread out across the country under PM Modi's leadership. It's like Congress ka haath, Pakistan ke saath," Mr. Shinde told PTI here.
Lok Sabha elections updates May 8, 2024
He also hit out at former Maharashtra Chief Minister and former Union minister Sharad Pawar for doing "nothing" for the State during his long stints in the state and Centre.
"He has been in Maharashtra politics, national politics for such a long time. Maharashtra should have progressed so much during this time. He was also the agriculture minister. What our government has done for farmers, no other government has been able to do so far. That I can say with full confidence," Shinde said.
He said ₹6,000 is being given by the Centre and the state government is adding another ₹6,000 to it, making it ₹12,000 for farmers every year.
"They are getting crop insurance for free. There are so many schemes for farmers and our government gives them top priority," he said.
On what he called anti-India statements by several opposition leaders, the Shiv Sena leader said, "They are speaking in Pakistan's favour and in their language. This is their misfortune only. But we will not leave those who speak against our country. These people should be jailed after being charged with treason." "These people live in India and praise Pakistan. If Farooq Abdullah asks whether Pakistan is wearing bangles, who are these people? Are they Pakistani or Hindustani? Are they traitors or our own citizens? Such people should be put behind bars after charging them with treason," Mr. Shinde told PTI.
"Similarly, what kind of patriotism is raising questions about the death of a martyr, Hemant Karkare? Saying that it was not Kasab's bullet that hit him, is the same as what Pakistan used to say. Pakistan was also saying that Kasab was not their man but in the end, they had to accept he was a Pakistani citizen," he added.
Mr. Shinde was responding to recent comments made by National Conference chief Mr. Abdullah, Congress' Mr. Wadettiwar and former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi.
Mr. Wadettiwar, the leader of opposition in the Maharashtra state assembly, recently claimed that Karkare, who was the Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief during the 26/11 terror attack, wasn't killed by Kasab's bullet but by one fired by a policeman affiliated to RSS.
The Congress leader made the statement while attacking the BJP's Mumbai North Central candidate Ujjwal Nikam, who was the special public prosecutor in the 26/11 trial.
NC president Mr. Abdullah, on the other hand, had said that dialogue is the only way to resolve issues between India and Pakistan as any confrontation will have serious consequences for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Reacting to a recent statement of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on taking back Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister on Sunday said no one is going to stop him.
"Let the defence minister do it. Who is going to stop him? In any case, they will not ask us. But let them remember that they [Pakistan] are not wearing bangles, they also have an atom bomb. The unfortunate part is that the atom bomb will fall on us," he said.
In an exclusive interview with PTI, Mr. Singh said India will never give up its claim on PoK but it will not have to capture it with force because the people of the region, on their own, would want to be part of the country after seeing the development in Kashmir.
Mr. Channi, while replying to a question on the attack on the Indian Air Force's convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch, had said, "'Yeh stuntbaazi ho rahi hai, hamle nahi ho rahe' [These are all stunts, not attacks]." "Whenever elections are near, such stunts are performed to make the BJP win. There is no truth in it," he had said.
One Indian Air Force (IAF) corporal was killed and four were injured as terrorists ambushed their convoy in Poonch district on Saturday, three weeks ahead of polling in Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency.
Under fire over his "poll stunt" remark, the Congress leader later said he was proud of the country's soldiers but targeted the Centre over the 2019 Pulwama terror strike, saying the government could not ascertain who carried out the attack.
Mr. Shinde said the work done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 10 years is for everyone to see and these include schemes for women and youth, infrastructure projects, and road, rail, air and water connectivity.
"Today, India is talked about with respect in the entire world. That change has taken place. Today, India speaks and the world listens. It was not the case earlier. It's no more a majboor sarkar, it's a majboot sarkar. That's why we could avenge Pulwama with a Balakote surgical strike. "It's the prowess of our country that the opposition is not liking. They are not able to digest it," he said.
