On borders, Rahul slams Modi for the troubles!
It is strange that after visiting border areas affected by Pakistani firing in Jammu & Kashmir, Congress vice president had words to condemn the Narendra Modi Government but little to say about Pakistan's provocation and the proxy wars it has engaged with India. Instead of strengthening the Government's (and thereby India's) hand vis-à-vis Islamabad's role in fomenting terror and unrest there, he chose, as is his wont, to use the occasion to indulge in cheap politics. From the one-rank-one-pension issue to a supposed over-centralisation in governance to the Prime Minister's alleged silence on various matters, Mr Gandhi had a lot to berate his rival and the Bharatiya Janata Party.
But the Congress vice president should have remembered that the people affected by the shelling in areas such as Poonch, are not victims of New Delhi's aggression. He should have had the courage to name and shame Pakistan, just as he should have supported the strong stand the Union Government took on the issue of Hurriyat's engagement with Pakistani leaders in the run-up to the National Security Advisor level talks. As far as Mr Gandhi is concerned, anything that reflects well on the Prime Minister must be opposed, even if that leads to a crack in the country's joint effort to combat the menace of cross-border terrorism.
The Congress vice president is free to play his politics, but there is a time and occasion for such things. Imagine, after meeting the residents of villages which had been hit by Pakistani firing, Mr Gandhi said the Government of India should stand by the victims and award them adequate compensation. Now, this is so obvious a suggestion that New Delhi does not need it from him. It must have already set in motion the process for relief. The Congress vice president should have, instead, slammed Pakistan for the unprovoked shelling, targeting civilians and shielding terrorists wanted by India. But that would have been so similar to the Government's stand, and so Mr Gandhi decided to use his partisan script!
The larger point is that the Congress has a hazy position on the issue of dealing with Pakistan. It demonstrated that when it ruled in coalition at the Centre for 10 years, and it continues to show it now as an opposition party. Ironically, it has been blaming the Modi regime for being unclear. Take just one recent example: The Congress had opposed the NSA level talks between India and Pakistan with the argument that no talks should happen when there is firing by Pakistani forces along the borders and when Pakistan is not willing to see reason over the involvement of a third party — the Hurriyat — in the bilateral talks. The Centre took a firm stand on not letting the Pakistani NSA meet the Hurriyat before the proposed talks. As a result, Pakistan called off the talks in protest. The Congress should have welcomed the Union Government's resolve in the national interest. Instead, it slammed the development.