State BJP Spokesperson, Prof. Virender Gupta strongly criticized the role of Congress party in the present turmoil in the Valley. The Jammu & Kashmir leadership of the party played a second fiddle to NC when its leaders joined the all party delegation to New Delhi under the leadership of Omar Abdullah who gave a clean chit to Pakistan and blamed the State and Central government for the present crisis and also advocated to hold talks with Pakistan and separatists in order to seek solution for Jammu and Kashmir problem. The Congress party both at the Centre and in the State spoke in multiple voices. There was no tuning between the statements of Ghulam Nabi Azad, Digvijay Singh, P. Chidambram, Manishankar Aiyar and Khursheed Ahmed. Even Mr. Azad, who remained Chief Minister of the state, was speaking in different voices and playing his cards mischievously, supporting Omar Abdullah and separatists; criticizing Pakistan for its role and at the same time asking for holding talks with Pakistan. State leadership of Congress also speaks in two voices; G.M. Mir take pro-separatists’ stand where as Jammu leaders plead for taking hard and strong stand against those involved in creating present situation.
Prof. Virender said during the last 12 years Congress party was sharing power in the state and it was also running the government at the Centre. It needs to issue a white paper elaborating the steps it took to achieve the lasting solution for Jammu and Kashmir problem. He said that the onus of Jammu & Kashmir problem lies with Congress and National Conference who remained involved in state affairs right from 1947.
The blunders committed by Congress party from time to time in 1947 while incorporating article 370, in 1971 giving concession to Mr. Butto then Pakistan Prime Minister under Shimla Agreement and again in 1975 by installing Sheikh in power, are responsible for the present situation. When the trouble started in 1990, 2008 and 2010 the Congress party was sharing power alongwith NC and PDP and added that therefore, the present situation is mostly the fall out of the misdoings of NC and Congress.
Prof. Virender was critical of those who blame the present PDP-BJP alliance government for the present outburst in the valley and term the present alliance as complete failure. He told that the progress achieved in the matter of development and schemes launched for the welfare of common masses, poor and down trodden people, are far more than any of the previous regimes. He said that during the small tenure of the present government IIT, IIM, AIIMS and Institute of Mass Communication were sanctioned for Jammu region, 6 new Medical College-3 in Jammu region and 3 in Valley were approved, the road net work is being strengthened by constructing roads in new areas and broadening the existing ones and added that the government has taken up the new projects to improve electricity and water supply to the people. He said that the government is working with commitment and dedication in accordance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s agenda; “Sab ka Saath, Sab ka Vikas”.
