Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Election: Amit Shah slammed the Congress and National Conference (File).
New Delhi:
Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday fired 10 questions at the Congress after the party said it had all but agreed an alliance with the National Conference for next month’s Jammu and Kashmir election.
In a post on X Mr Shah raged that the Congress – which “played with the unity and security of the country in its greed for power” in the past – had “once again put itself before the country”. He also questioned the Congress over promises made by the National Conference in its manifesto, including a promise to encourage dialogue between with Pakistan and restoration of the J&K flag.
Of course, the red flag, as far as the BJP was concerned, was the National Conference saying it would “strive to restore 370 – 35A (referring to Article 370 and Article 35A, which guaranteed special status to J&K and special rights to ‘permanent residents’ of J&K) and statehood as prior to August 2019”.
The 10 questions for the Congress and Rahul Gandhi, who was in Srinagar Thursday and claimed “blood” ties with the people of J&K, included jabs over the party’s “support (for) the era of terrorism”.
Mr Shah’s 10 questions:
- Does Congress support National Conference’s promise of a separate flag for J&K again?
- Do Rahul Gandhi and Congress support the National Conference’s decision to push J&K back into an era of unrest and terrorism by bringing back Article 370 and Article 35A?
- Does the Congress support promoting separatism by talking to Pak in exchange for Kashmir’s youth?
- Do Congress and Rahul Gandhi support nurturing terrorism and its ecosystem across the border (as a result) of the NC’s decision to start trade (across the LoC) with Pakistan?
- Does Congress support bringing back the era of terrorism and shutdowns by reinstating to government posts family members of those involved in terrorism and stone-pelting?
- This alliance has brought forth anti-reservation face of Congress. Is the party with NC’s promise to do injustice to Dalits, Gujjars, Bakarwals, and Paharis by ending reservation?
- Does Congress want Shankaracharya Parvat (a temple on a hill overlooking Srinagar and dedicated to Lord Shiva) – to be Takht-e-Suliman, and Hari Parvat as Koh-e-Maran?
- Does the Congress support handing over the J&K economy to a handful of Pakistan-backed families by once again throwing it into the fire of corruption?
- Does Congress support NC’s politics of discrimination between Jammu and the Valley?
- Do Congress and Rahul Gandhi support NC’s divisive thinking of autonomy to Kashmir?
The Congress party, which has repeatedly risked the nation’s unity and security to satiate its greed for power, has once again exposed its ulterior motives by allying with the Abdullah family’s ‘National Conference’ in the Jammu and Kashmir elections.
Given the promises made in… pic.twitter.com/omxj3xOdP3
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) August 23, 2024
On Thursday, after a meeting between Mr Gandhi and NC boss Farooq Abdullah at the latter’s home in Srinagar, sources told NDTV the broad strokes of a deal – for all 90 seats – had been agreed.
“We had a good meeting, in a cordial atmosphere. The alliance is on track, it is final… it will go smoothly. It will be signed and is on all 90 seats,” Mr Abdullah, a former Chief Minister, said.
READ | Congress-National Conference J&K Tie-Up Done But Issues Over Seats
This is the first Congress-NC alliance in J&K since 1987. The two are, however, part of the INDIA bloc that was led by the Congress and put up a strong showing in the April-June Lok Sabha election. The NC won two of J&K’s five seats, while the BJP got the other two and an independent the fifth.
READ | Restoration Of J&K Statehood Is Focus Of National Conference’s Manifesto
As far as the opposition is concerned, sources said the successful meeting between Mr Abdullah and Mr Gandhi underlined their intention – that despite some differences, both parties want this alliance.
READ | J&K To Vote In 3 Phases, 1st State Poll Since Article 370 Was Scrapped
The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly election will be held in three phases – on September 18 and 25, and on October 1. Votes will be counted on October 4.
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