The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the Congress today termed Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh's assertion of finding solution to the Kashmir issue by 2022 an attempt to "divert attention" from alleged failure of the government on Kashmir front.
"In the backdrop of the overall environment, the hallow assertions based on pledge to solve the Kashmir problem by 2022 do not appear to be more than prophesies or guesswork.
"It is an attempt to divert attention from failure of the government on Kashmir front," Congress state unit chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said.
During a programme in Lucknow today, the Union Home Minister said, "There are a lot of problems - terrorism, naxalism, Kashmir problem. Much is not needed to be said about these problems. But I can assure you this much that by 2022, we have pledged to create a 'New India'... So a solution will be found to all these problems before 2022. We want to assure the countrymen on this."
He also questioned the basis of the Union home minister's assertions.
"The overall situation in Kashmir on all fronts deteriorated during three years of the NDA regime at the Centre and the coalition government of PDP-BJP in the state, so the mere statements or pledge would not solve the Kashmir problem," Sharma said.
He also claimed the security environment in the valley was at its "worst" due to "manifold rise" in militancy and infiltration from Pakistan, while the political atmosphere was totally "vitiated" and nobody knew the road map of the Centre to deal with the situation and restore normalcy.
The Congress party leader said the common man was suffering due to "unprecedented price hike" of all commodities even as demonetisation and GST could not help boost the economy.
Sharma hit out at the government for not creating adequate jobs and the "tension" with neighbouring countries.
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