After cornering Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on impending economic crisis facing the country, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday mounted pressure on him to scale down the diplomatic relations with neighboring Pakistan in the wake of increasing incidents of ceasefire violations along the line of Control in Jammu & Kashmir.
Slamming decision of the Prime Minister to engage Pakistan on the dialogue table, BJP chief Rajnath Singh on Saturday said, “The Government of India should lower the status of its diplomatic relations with Pakistan till it mends its ways and stops ceasefire violations, cross-border firing and attacks on forward posts along the line of Control in Jammu & Kashmir.”
Addressing daylong workers convention in Jammu BJP chief also lashed out at the Congress-led UPA Government for failing to give befitting reply to Pakistan. Singh condemned the PM’s decision to go for a dialogue with Pakistan in the wake of recent cases of killings and decapitation of Indian soldiers by Pakistan forces.
Expressing concern over incidents of violence or rioting in Kishtwar on August 9, 2013, Singh said it was important to ensure the security of the minorities living there. He targeted State Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and former MOS Home Sajjad Kitchloo for failing in their duty to take preventive steps to stop the violence.
He called for adequate compensation to be paid to traders in Kishtwar for losses suffered by them during the clashes. He said it is most unfortunate that the State Government has failed to provide compensation to the victims of violence or rioting in Kishtwar till date. The BJP stands solidly behind the minorities in the State and will continuously struggle to strengthen nationalist forces in the State, he added.
He hit out at the Omar Abdullah Government for allegedly encouraging anti-national forces and failing to deliver good governance to the people of the State. He also called for nomination of candidates from amongst the refugees from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to the 24 seats in the State Assembly which have been reserved for them but are lying vacant.
“If BJP comes to power, it will grant citizenship rights to the refugees,” he said. On the occasion four persons joined the party and were welcomed into the party fold. They included Prof. Hari Om, Sanjay Choudhary and Puran Chand. National general secretary JP Nadda, MP & J&K Prabhari Avinash Rai Khanna, State president Jugal Kishore Sharma, and others attended the workers convention.
later in the day addressing a separate Press conference BJP president Rajnath Singh reacted to the statement of Prime Minister on the floor of the House in Parliament on Friday. “We are playing the role of a ‘watchdog’ in Parliament. We cannot adopt silence over rampant corruption in the Congress-led UPA Government,” Singh said when asked whether the party MP’s contemplating tendering resignations from their lok Sabha seats to corner the UPA Government.
Singh said, “It is laughable when PM blames Opposition party for economic crisis in the country. It has never happened anywhere in the world where a ruling party leader has ever shifted the blame on the Opposition for economic crisis in the country”. Questioning the basis of Prime Ministers arguments Rajnath Singh said, “PM must explain is it true that the foreign investment is the only basis of determining the health of the Indian economy”. He charged,” the Congress led UPA Government has destroyed the autonomy of the Indian economy”. “This Government is facing numerous charges of corruption and has totally failed on all the fronts”.
The BJP chief said the UPA Government must demit the office in the interest of the country at the earliest and fresh polls should be held to elect a new Government.