Congress should apologize, act against Azad, Soz: Amit Shah

JAMMU: BJP President Amit Shah on Saturday asked the Congress to apologise for the statements of its senior leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Saifuddin Soz on Kashmir and dared it to take action against the two leaders.

Addressing a public rally here, he said that after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) withdrew support to the PDP-led coalition government, leading to its collapse, the Congress "started showing its true colours" in anticipation of elections.

The BJP President, who was on his first visit to the state after his party suddenly decided to withdraw support to the Mehbooba Mufti government, said that staying in power was not a priority for the BJP but "welfare and development of Jammu and Kashmir was its only objective".

"Everyone feels that some day soon, elections will happen. While BJP raises slogans of 'Bharat mata ki jai', the Congress also started showing its true colours in anticipation of elections.

"Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad made a statement which I cannot even repeat here. And immediately after it, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) supported that statement," Shah said.

Azad had said that "the Indian Army was killing more civilians than terrorists" in Jammu and Kashmir.

Shah asked the Congress to explain the reason behind shared views between LeT and one of its senior leaders.

Also slamming a statement by Congress leader Soz that former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf was right in saying Kashmiris will prefer to be independent, he said that the BJP will never let it happen.

He asked the Congress to take action against the two leaders and also apologize to the nation for their statements.

The saffron party chief also claimed that J&K is part of India due to the efforts of Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee.

"We will never allow Kashmir to get disintegrated from India. Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of the country," Shah told a rally to mark "historic martyrdom anniversary" of Mookerjee.

He said Mookerjee laid down his life to integrate Jammu and Kashmir with the country along with Praja Parishad's movement.

"It (J&K being integral part of India) cannot not change," Shah said.

Asserting that Mookerjee is an inspiration for people and BJP activists across the country, Shah said he endangered his life and later sacrificed it in a bid to integrate J&K with India.

"He is an inspiration for us. If J&K is today part of India, it is because of Mookerjee," Shah said.

He also praised the Praja Parishad and its movement for the integration of J&K with India. "Praja Parishad is first national movement of Independent India. It is this which ensured integration of J&K with India," Shah said.

He also appealed to the youth of the state to read the history of Praja Parishad.
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