Jammu, September 19:- Snubbing Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif for his statement on Jammu and Kashmir, senior All India Congress leader and Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Pramodh Tiwari on Thursday warned 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 while addressing a press conference at Jammu.
Criticizing the BJP for raking up the statement of Pakistan’s Defence Minister in the election campaign, Tiwari said that it appears that the BJP and Pakistan’s establishment are reciprocating each others’ interests.
“The timing of the Pakistani minister’s absurd statement and reaction of BJP to exploit it is a clear indication that there is a tactical understanding between them”, the Congress leader said.
Recalling the Pathankot terror attack, Tiwari questioned Modi's decision to invite the Pakistani 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 pointed out.
Additionally, Tiwari criticized Modi's uninvited visit to Lahore to attend a family function of then-Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
“That move was perceived as a sign of weakness and a lack of diplomatic protocol” he said and argued that such actions compromise India's stance on terrorism and undermine the country's interests.
Pramodh Tiwari strongly condemned the recent threatening statements made by BJP leaders and its allies against Rahul Gandhi.
“We've lost beloved leaders like Mrs. Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi to terrorism, and now, BJP Minister “Jai Chand” Ravneet Singh Bittu has labeled Rahul Gandhi a '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 said.
“As a nation, we must recognize the collective responsibility to condemn such hate speech. 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 the Rajya Sabha said. He was flanked by JKPCC Senior Vice President & Chief Spokesperson Mr Ravinder Sharma, AICC National Coordinators Dolly Sharma, Onika Mehrotra, PCC Vice President I/C HQ Ved Mahajan , General Secretary Narinder Sharma, S Gurdarshan Singh, Sopkesperson Kapil Singh.
“We cannot let history repeat itself. If anything happens to Rahul Gandhi, the Prime Minister will be held accountable. It's alarming that the PM's inaction suggests a lack of faith in democracy and its institutions”, he said and urged the Prime Minister to break his silence and condemn these threats. The nation demands accountability and an end to this culture of hatred and intolerance."
Pointing towards situation in J&K, Tiwari, “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, adding which doctor advised them not to grant statehood before assembly elections & rather further snatching the rights of elected government, clearing intentions of BJP to run the govt here by remote control,he said.
“For the first time in democratic India's history, a state has been downgraded, and it's clear that the BJP has no intention of granting statehood”, he said, adding, “They delayed elections despite being in power at the Centre, and only the Supreme Court's intervention forced their hand”.
“Historically, the Congress party has always stood for the rights of Jammu and Kashmir. Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru granted full-fledged statehood to J&K, and Mrs. Indira Gandhi did the same for neighbouring Himachal Pradesh. However, the BJP has snatched away this right, downgrading J&K to a Union Territory on August 5, 2019”, he pointed out.
“The BJP's intentions are clear - they want to rule J&K indirectly by keeping it as a UT. The Solicitor General has refused to provide a timeline for restoring statehood before SC”, Mr Tiwari said.
“It's high time for the people of J&K to respond to those who have degraded their status and taken away their basic rights”, he asked the people
The BJP's promises have remained on paper, failing to deliver on employment opportunities - 15 lakh, two crore jobs. Instead, they've increased unemployment, with 65% of government posts lying vacant. Daily wagers have lost their livelihoods, and there's been a 1500% increase in drug addiction.
“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 toward the recent statement of Engineer Rahid in which he stated that his doors are opened for BJP, Mr Tiwari said that 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 get respectable seats. “All efforts of BJP to use proxies to grab powers would be proved futile”, he predicted.