AHMEDABAD: It seems former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru will reverberate as election issue in upcoming Gujarat Assembly polls. The ruling BJP is already targeting the main Opposition Congress for the country’s first Prime Minister’s role in keeping the Kashmir conflict alive.
On Thursday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while addressing a gathering in Unnai, a tribal area in South Gujarat, held Nehru responsible for the Kashmir problem and congratulated PM Modi for solving it through abrogation of Article 370.
Earlier on October 10, PM Modi during his visit to Gujarat had said without mentioning Nehru’s name that “Sardar Patel resolved issues of merger of erstwhile princely states, but Kashmir was handled by “one person” and that’s why Kashmir issue remained unresolved.” Modi also said that he was able to resolve the long-pending Kashmir issue as he is walking in the footsteps of Sardar Patel.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah was addressing a public gathering at Unnai Mata temple, a popular religious place in Vansda taluka of Navsari district. He flagged off two Gaurav Yatras at Unnai temple, one of which will travel to Ambaji temple in north Gujarat and then across the entire tribal belt of eastern Gujarat.
Addressing the gathering, Shah Said, “Due to the mistake of Jawaharlal Nehru, the issue of Kashmir was not resolved and because of Article 370, Kashmir had a separate Constitution. PM Modi on 5 Aug 2019 removed Article 370 in one stroke and merged Kashmir with India forever.”
He further elaborated about Kashmir and Article 370. “At the time of removal of Article 370 in J&K, SP, BSP, Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti were threatening that if it is repealed, ‘Koon Ki Nadia Bahe Jayengi’ (there will be bloodshed), but Modi acted in such a way that no one dared to lift even a single stone,” he said.