At a time when critics say Congress is desperate for support, support had come but not quite from where the party would have been hoping. Party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad recently said that more civilians were dying in anti-terror operations than terrorists – a view that was echoed by terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba in an emailed statement.
Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said at a presser stated that, “Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said that the army is killing more general people than militants in Kashmir. His remarks are very embarrassing, unfortunate, and irresponsible.”
He added, “Lashkar-e-Taiba is supporting the language of which the language Congress leaders are speaking today. For which political benefit, today the Congress party has stood with those who want to break this country.”
Through the statement, LeT spokesperson Abdullah Ghaznavi quotes the terrorist organisation chief Mahmood Shah as saying that Azad’s view was correct. “We have been of the same opinion as of the expressions of Ghulam Nabi Azad and others since the beginning. India is up to bringing back the era of Jagmohan by imposing the Governor law so as to sabotage the infrastructure and commit massacre of innocents. It is a move to further intensify the mass killings.”
The statement also criticised Mehbooba Mufti and said, “Mehbooba Mufti has strived to her excellence in establishing the agenda of RSS in the Valley and Jammu. 8 lakh Indian forces are committing atrocities in Jammu Kashmir. The people are being suppressed down into slavery by excessive force. But the immense sacrifices by the people of Jammu Kashmir have rendered the likes of Operation All-Out as complete failures. The cease-fire was merely drama. It was intended for covert targets, not for the peacekeeping developments.”
The remark and the subsequent backing of LeT has led BJP to open a new counter-offensive against Congress. “In J&K, 72 terrorists were killed in 2012, 67 in 2013. In June of 2014, we came to power. 110 were killed in 2014, 108 in 2015, 150 in 2016, 217 in 2017 and 75 have been killed till May of this year. So, GN Azad, you can see the difference between your and our government. LeT is supporting what Cong says,” said party spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday. ”
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