New Delhi, Aug 17
Hitting back at the Congress for its remarks on the government policy on Pakistan, the BJP said on Wednesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had sought to “name and shame†the neighbouring country for “atrocities it is committing day and night in Balochistanâ€.
In a statement here, the Bharatiya Janata Party said that the Congress remarks on Modi's Independence Day address was “nothing but opposition for opposition's sake, indicative of the great panic†due to pro-people work of the government.
“We are not surprised about the Congress' absurdities. After all, a party of 'parivar sevaks' (servers of a family) duty-bound to do 'parivar seva' (serve the family) can hardly comprehend the efforts of a 'pradhan sevak' (people's servant) immersed in nation's service,†the statement said.
It said the distinction was also clear in the domain of foreign policy. “The statements of then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt brought immense shame to the nation.
"There was a prime minister who was open to debating India's role in Balochistan and here is a prime minister who has categorically sought to name and shame Pakistan for the atrocities it is committing day and night in Balochistan,†the statement said.
“The overwhelming support from the oppressed and subjugated brave men and women of Balochistan for Prime Minister Modi illustrates the chord his address has struck on the issue and displayed the firmness with which India has dealt with the issue,†it added.
Referring to the Congress remarks on Jammu and Kashmir, the BJP said Modi had spoken in detail during the all-party meeting on the prevailing situation in the state. It said he had visited the state on multiple occasions.
The BJP alleged that “most simmering situation†in Jammu and Kashmir took place in 2010 when the Congress was a partner of the ruling coalition.
“The round of protests in 2008 took place under a Congress Chief Minister. Never has the Congress spoken for the rights of Kashmiri Pandits,†the party alleged.
The BJP said that inflation rate under the NDA government has not crossed six per cent when the rates during the Congress crossed double digits.
The BJP said that most farmer suicides in India have occurred in states governed by the Congress.
“It is an equally undeniable fact that some of the most heinous communal riots in India's history have happened under the reign of Congress governments.â€
The statement alleged that “highest crimes against Dalit communities are taking place in states ruled or supported by the Congressâ€.
The Congress had earlier in the day hit out at Modi government for its “inconsistent†foreign policy and said the government must refrain from knee-jerk reactions vis-a-vis Pakistan.
Read also
http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/pm-narendra-modi-salman-khurshid-balochistan-kashmir-2979450/
Adventurism on I-Day
Linking PoK with Balochistan is a myopic move, could undermine India’s
high moral ground vis a vis Pakistan.
Written by Salman Khurshid | Published:August 17, 2016 12:02 am
Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Red Fort on the 70th Independence
Day in New Delhi. (Express Photo by Renuka Puri)
The speech by India’s prime minister from the ramparts of Red Fort on
Independence Day is meant to be different from the usual town hall
events in contemporary politics. More than anything, it is a moment
for raising national sentiment to the level of the “freedom at
midnight†speech of Jawaharlal Nehru. Of course, there are elements
that show concern for the life of the common citizen, but unlike other
speeches it is an expression of lofty aspirations and accomplishments,
a statement of India’s view of the world. It is neither a manifesto
nor a performance-report to the nation and certainly not a partisan
election oration. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems
unwilling to see it as a national event rather than an opportunity to
enthuse party cadres. He certainly did a commendable job of the
latter, though he seems to have missed the former completely.
Foreign policy is an apt subject for a Red Fort speech. But PM Modi
preferred not to venture across the globe he trots often and placed
his focus on Pakistan. We have enough cause for concern about Pakistan
rudely and obdurately seeking to interfere in our internal matters,
not to mention continuing to provoke and support heinous terrorist
attacks on our citizens. The PM had little of substance to say about
that beyond parroting general phrases of indignation. He refrained
from telling the world how his attempts at outreach have been
repudiated and what, if any, promises to him have been broken.
There must have been many promises that he procured during several of
his smug meetings with the Pakistan PM. He did not say that he was
being forced to change over to Plan C (Plan A was before getting
elected, Plan B after becoming PM). But he abruptly launched a
PoK-Gilgit-Balochistan verbal assault to the immediate cheers of
uninformed jingoists across the electronic and social media.
The prompt refrain one heard was: “Thou shall not question the PM on
pain of being called anti-national.†I understand the sensitivity of
questioning the PM on Independence Day but that never stopped him from
making competing speeches when he was only a prime ministerial
aspirant. Be that as it may, given the impudence of Pakistan on the
tragic events in the Valley and the insistence on interfering, our
PM’s riposte on PoK was apt and justified. PoK (including Gilgit)
remain part of India forcibly occupied by Pakistan. Our Parliament has
unanimously resolved to get it back long before Modi was heard of. Of
course, PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee had different ideas when he tried to
find a solution with President Musharraf. Be that as it may, PoK is
and must be a priority even if the practical ground situation might be
favourable to Kashmir politicians in 1948 as indeed now. No one will
have the slightest hesitation in supporting the PM’s statement (even
if as a bargaining issue). But speaking of Balochistan is quite
another matter.
We all know that there is a Baloch struggle for freedom of
considerable vintage and with a history of ruthless oppression by the
state. We have been repeatedly accused of supporting it and we have
forcefully rejected that. When at Sharm el Sheikh, to break a
deadlock, we agreed to consider any legitimate concerns, the BJP
raised a howl of protest and stalled Parliament. Now the PM has
virtually announced support for the Baloch struggle though he has
refrained from saying how he intends to do it.
That will need to factor in several dimensions: The Chinese presence
in Balochistan, including development of the Gwadar port; the Chinese
Economic Corridor from Gwadar to PoK and beyond; the Afghan and
Iranian reaction, given that their territories are included in the
Baloch aspiration.
It is not surprising that Baloch dissidents have grasped India’s hand.
There is no reason why we should not feel their pain as we do for
people elsewhere. But to link that with PoK/Kashmir at the present
juncture is a myopic move that might seriously undermine the high
moral ground we have always held on Pakistani interference in our
internal matters. Not only does this also give the go-by to Panchsheel
principles but it also makes us vulnerable to international concern
that we have successfully warded away over the past decades. The world
has fortunately moved away from the redrawing of boundaries and it is
silly for us to invite them to do so for Balochistan with no certainty
that it will stop there.
While we grapple with the larger question on the situation beyond our
border and the LoC, we can hardly play ostrich at home. More than 40
days of curfew in J&K and a depressingly long list of casualties with
dozens of young persons fighting to save their eyes, faces pockmarked
with pellets, and the government has nothing to say or do. Bad as
sentiments are in the Valley, it has not helped that the PDP has
become a helpless puppet in the hands of RSS functionaries posted in
the state. All that we get in answer to questions about the intent to
solve or resolve the stand-off are some patriotic exhortations and the
blame game from 60 years of misrule.
Any concern for the misguided youth pelting stones in the streets is
sadly seen as insensitivity for the brave young men in uniform who
find themselves in a situation not of their making. The killing of
Burhan Wani reminds us that killing a man is easy but killing a legend
impossible. Yet we have to think of the living rather than one who
chose his path of death. We have to win these hearts at home in the
Valley, not in the harsh mountains of Balochistan. But the divisive
agenda is already entrenched when differences on fighting the enemy
are turned into a bloody political slugfest at home. Were we promised
such an independence?
The writer is a senior Congress leader and former minister for external affairs
