Union Minster Rajnath Singh.
The Prime Minister’s Independence Day speech about reaching out to Kashmiris was a “heartwarming gesture”, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said in a signed article that was circulated by the government Wednesday.
“It was heartwarming to see the Prime Minister making his government’s stand clear when he said ‘na gaali na goli’ can resolve the complexities of the Kashmir issue. On the contrary it can only be resolved by embracing the common Kashmiri,” Rajnath Singh said in the article.
Rajnath sought to suggest that ordinary Kashmiris have been victims of machinations of “vested interests” working against peace in the Valley. “The Centre has been consistent in its belief that the common Kashmiri wants to be an active stakeholder in the peace process. They have been made victims by certain vested interests who do not want peace in the Kashmir valley,” he added in his signed article.
Rajnath also underlined that the Prime Minister’s remarks were an appeal to those resorting to violence to adopt democratic means to express their grievances.
Singh, who hails from Uttar Pradesh and has been its Chief Minister, suggested that Modi “empathised” with the families whose children died in the recent hospital tragedy in Gorakhpur.
“He empathised with those affected by the Gorakhpur tragedy and the recent natural calamities like floods and landslides which have affected many parts of the country. This was a reassuring statement to the victims to make from the ramparts of the Red Fort, that even in its celebratory moments, the nation is sensitive enough to not forget those suffering and unable to celebrate,” his article read.
