NVI Special Correspondent
Jammu, Sep 21 (NVI): All India Congress Committee (AICC) President Malikarjun Kharge today responded to the salvos being fired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah by stating that who went to Pakistan to taste biryani and to hug the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 2015.
“I am aware of what Modi and Shah speaks about Congress party. They criticize Congress and level accusations that we are getting support from Pakistan. I want to ask them that who flied to Pakistan to taste biryani and to hug the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif,” Kharge said addressing a press conference in Jammu.
He was responding to a query that Pakistan’s defence minister Khawja Asif recently in an interview to Geo TV claimed that the Pakistan was on the same page with Congress-National Conference on Article 370 and Article 35 A. He said levelling baseless allegations against Congress is like “mohabat hamaray saath aur shaadi Pakistan kay saath.”
The AICC president said that BJP targets Congress for not having offered any sacrifices for the nation. “I want to ask PM Modi and Shah where the Jan Sangh workers were when Congress was fighting the war for freedom from British. Scores of Congress workers died in the war. Mahatma Gandhi offered supreme sacrifice for nation’s integrity. Then, Indira Gandhi sacrificed her and then Rajiv Gandhi also offered the sacrifice of his life,” Kharge said, adding that “I don’t know how BJP leadership has forgotten these sacrifices.”
Putting his weight behind Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi, Kharge said that who levels serious charges against Rahul. “Who says zaban katay gey, who labels Rahul as a traitor and a terrorist? Who spreads hatred is clear,” the AICC chief said.
He said that the age-old practice of Darbar Move (shifting of government offices from Srinagar to Jammu in winters and vice-versa in summers) will be restored. “The Lieutenant Governor of J&K abolished this decades old practice which has deprived both regions from economic prosperity,” he said.
Taking a dig at BJP, the AICC chief said that he wonders as to why BJP didn’t fulfil over one lakh vacant government posts in J&K in last 10 years. “The party in its manifesto claims it will give five lakh jobs to youth but why the one lakh vacant posts haven’t been filled in the last one decade,” he questioned.
He said BJP government has created huge unemployment in J&K by giving contracts to non J&K residents. “Who is holding sand contracts, mining contracts and liquor contracts? All those are not J&K residents,” Kharge said.
Asked PM Modi during his Kashmir rally said that Statehood will be restored by BJP only, the AICC chief said that they are in the government at the Centre, why delay, why they aren’t restoring the Statehood. “Why PM Modi and Shah talks about Statehood in election rallies,” he said. (News Vibes of India)
