Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], October 24 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders on Friday criticised National Conference president Farooq Abdullah over his reported remarks questioning India’s intentions towards Kashmir and crediting Pakistan’s continued efforts to raise the issue at international forums with protecting Kashmiris.
Jammu and Kashmir Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Sat Sharma demanded an apology to the people of the country.
The Bharatiya Janata Party leaders also defended the Centre’s policies in Jammu and Kashmir and asserted that the region’s security and stability were the result of the efforts of its people and the Government of India.
Addressing a workers’ convention in Baramulla, Abdullah questioned whether “Kashmiris could expect justice from Delhi” and said, “Pakistan’s continued efforts to raise the Kashmir issue internationally were putting pressure on India.”
“They are completely independent. When I saw those documents, I wondered, what can you expect from Delhi? Do you expect them to deliver justice for you? Have the courage to fight, or you will be wiped out, and your identity will disappear. They are silent today because of pressure from the world. Our neighbour is constantly pursuing them, going everywhere and saying that the Kashmir issue has not been resolved. He is protecting us; otherwise, their intentions are not good,” Abdullah said.
Reacting to the remarks, J&K BJP President Sat Sharma said Abdullah was able to express his views freely in India and questioned whether he would have the same freedom in Pakistan.
“Farooq Abdullah, you are permitted to say whatever you wish in this country—that is precisely why you are able to speak so freely. Had you said these same things in Pakistan, you wouldn’t have been left with anything at all. This is a political party that has never acted in the nation’s interest. Article 370 was imposed upon us,” Sharma told ANI.
He alleged that Article 370 had deprived several communities in Jammu and Kashmir of their rightful status and rights.
“After the imposition of Article 370, we saw what the people actually received. Women were denied their rightful status. Refugees from West Pakistan were denied their rights. The Valmiki community and the Gorkha community were also denied their due. It is because of these very people that Jammu and Kashmir has suffered so much,” he said.
Sharma further asserted that Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir were safe under India’s protection and criticised Abdullah’s remarks about Pakistan.
“Today, Muslims across the country—including those in Jammu and Kashmir—know the truth. We live among them. The Muslims there know that they are safe under India’s protection. If they harbor such deep affection for Pakistan, then they should go and settle in Pakistan. He is echoing the same rhetoric his father once used,” Sharma said.
Calling on Abdullah to apologise, Sharma said the National Conference leader’s remarks were unacceptable, particularly given his previous tenure as Chief Minister and his oath to uphold the Constitution.
“The Bharatiya Janata Party does not tolerate the actions of someone who, despite having repeatedly served as Chief Minister and taken an oath to uphold the Constitution of this country, has instead sought to incite anarchy against the nation itself. He should apologise to all the people of India; otherwise, I would suggest that Pakistan is a more suitable place for him—he ought to go and settle there,” Sharma said.
Former Union Minister Arjun Munda also condemned Abdullah’s remarks, saying that such a statement, if made by a Chief Minister, was unfortunate and reflected his view of the country.
“If this is true, then it is unfortunate. For someone who is the Chief Minister of a part of this country and has been working consistently, if such a statement has come from him, then it becomes self-evident how he views this country. Today, that is clearly reflected in his statements. I did not expect his statements to take such a form, but since they have, it is not just saddening; it is condemnable,” Munda told ANI.
BJP General Secretary Amar Kumar Bauri also defended the Centre’s policies in Jammu and Kashmir, citing development, improved connectivity and efforts to curb terrorism following the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A.
“If India’s intentions were not sincere, we would not be witnessing the path to development that has opened up in Kashmir following the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A. The world is observing how connectivity between Kashmir and the rest of the country has been strengthened—most notably through the construction of India’s largest railway bridge—and how, by curbing terrorism, the doors to development have been thrown wide open,” Bauri said.
He also alleged that Abdullah’s criticism stemmed from the withdrawal of special privileges and concessions that he and his family had enjoyed under successive Congress governments.
“The source of Farooq Abdullah’s distress is that the special privileges and concessions—granted to him and his family by the Congress and its successive governments as part of a policy of appeasement—have now been taken away. Farooq Abdullah, along with other communal-minded and anti-national elements, must understand that by removing Articles 370 and 35A, Modi ji has made it clear that Jammu and Kashmir is the crown of India. The 1.4 billion people of India will not tolerate any harm or threat to this crown—the very jewel upon their nation’s head,” Bauri said.
Former Rajya Sabha MP and BJP leader Deepak Prakash also criticised Abdullah’s remarks, asserting that Kashmir had been an integral part of India since ancient times and had contributed to harmony within Indian society.
“Kashmir has been an integral part of India since time immemorial. It has not only been an integral part of India since ancient times, but it has also served as a vital element in fostering harmony within our society. As for those who seek to break India into pieces, if Farooq Abdullah expresses loyalty toward such elements, it is highly condemnable,” Prakash said.
Invoking the concept of ‘Akhand Bharat’, Prakash said Pakistan was also part of the idea of an undivided India and called for the return of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to India.
“Pakistan, too, is an integral part of India. It is a part of ‘Akhand Bharat’ (undivided India). When we envision an undivided India, we consider Pakistan an integral part of it. Therefore, Pakistan is indeed an integral part of India. Furthermore, the entirety of Kashmir—including the territory currently under illegal occupation (PoK)—must one day return to India. This is the aspiration of 1.4 billion people. By making such statements, anyone who strengthens anti-national forces deserves the strongest possible condemnation,” he told ANI.
BJP MP Mukesh Dalal told ANI, “Farooq Abdullah and his family are notorious for consistently taking an anti-India stance and pursuing anti-India policies. Whenever the time comes for dialogue, all that ever comes from their mouths is talk of Pakistan. You live on Indian soil, you eat Indian food—yet you find fault with India? What kind of upbringing have you had?
Dalal added, “But all of these—the Abdullah family, the Communists—are, in a sense, the ‘illegitimate offspring’ of Nehru; they are the ones Nehru nurtured and raised, and who, time and again, stand against India.”
Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha MP Upendra Kushwaha said the views expressed by others were their own affair and attributed Kashmir’s stability to its people, the Government of India and the local administration.
“As for what they choose to say, that is their own affair. Kashmir remains intact because of the people of Kashmir, the policies of the Government of India, and the policies of the Kashmiri administration. If any external force dares to cast an eye towards Kashmir, they have been receiving a fitting response ever since Narendra Modi became Prime Minister, and they will continue to receive such a response in the future,” Kushwaha said.
The exchange of remarks comes amid a political row over Abdullah’s comments on Pakistan’s role in raising the Kashmir issue at international forums. While Abdullah questioned India’s intentions towards Kashmir, BJP leaders defended the Centre’s approach, citing the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A, development initiatives and security measures in the Union Territory. (ANI)
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