‘Grim situation in J&K fallout of strategic blunders by Modi govt’: Cong's Mallikarjun Kharge
“Situation in J&K is grim. It's a fallout of the failed policies & strategic blunders by Modi govt. No course correction in sight,” Kharge tweeted.
Senior Congress leader and leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the “grim” situation in the Union territory of Jammu & Kashmir. He pointed to the spurt in the civilian killings in the Valley and raked up issues such as unemployment rate and inflation.
“Situation in J&K is grim. It's a fallout of the failed policies & strategic blunders by Modi govt. No course correction in sight,” Kharge tweeted.
He said that the unemployment rate was “highest” across all states and Union territories at 21.6% and in Kashmir the inflation was at 7.39%, which Kharge said made the place “one of the costliest” to live in. The senior Congress leader further said that as many as 30 civilians, including local residents, minorities and the immigrants from other states have been victims of terrorist attacks this year. In the past week, at least nine soldiers have lost their lives, he added.
In a subsequent tweet, Kharge also said that there was a lack of safety and protection in the Union territory due to which there has been a “mass exodus of J&K’s minorities.”
Earlier on Saturday, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) said that it was alarmed by the “rapid deterioration” in the country’s internal and external security. “Unabated infiltrations by Pakistan have resulted in a dramatic deterioration of the security of Jammu & Kashmir,” a resolution by the CWC on the country’s political situation said.
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“Terrorist attacks have increased and both the security forces and innocent citizens have lost their lives. The administration of J&K, or whatever goes in the name of administration, is incompetent, paralyzed and in shambles,” the resolution further said. It also said that restoration of full statehood and holding democratic elections was the “way forward” in Jammu & Kashmir.
The sharp criticism from Kharge came a day after terrorists killed two migrant labourers in the Valley. On Saturday, Arvind Kumar Shah from Bihar and Sagir Ahmad from Uttar Pradesh fell victims to two separate shootouts by terrorists in Srinagar and Pulwama, respectively, the Kashmir Zone police announced. The two incidents took place within a span of one hour, HT previously reported, and the police said that the areas were cordoned off and search operations were on to nab the killers.
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Several political leaders condemned the killings on Saturday, which were the latest in a series of attacks by militants on minorities in the Valley in the recent past. Nine personnel from the armed forces have also been killed in the counter-insurgency operations that began earlier this week.
Meanwhile, Union home minister Amit Shah is scheduled to address a public rally in Jammu on October 24, Kashmir BJP president Ravinder Raina said earlier in the week. Shah will hold his first rally there after the Union government abolished Articles 370 and 35-A from Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019.
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