New Delhi, Sep 19 (IANS): BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Thursday lashed out at the National Conference-Congress alliance over Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif extending support to their call for Article 370 abrogation.
He claimed that this “has exposed their agenda and thinking.”
Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said recently that the Shehbaz Sharif government and the Congress-National Conference alliance were on the same page on the issue of restoration of Article 370.
"They (the alliance) have made it an election issue. Pakistan and the National Conference-Congress alliance are on the same page in Jammu and Kashmir to restore Article 370 and 35A," he said.
Khawaja Asif made the remarks during an interview with Geo News amid the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the first to be held since the revocation of Article 370 in 2019 and after a decade.
Referring to the ‘Gupkar Agenda,’ the BJP leader remarked that this agenda was heavily influenced by the Congress and that Pakistan's support for this agenda was evident even back then.
He professed, "Whenever terrorists or separatists were targeted, Pakistan would protest, and the alliance — whether it was the Congress, the National Conference, or the PDP — would also react similarly."
"The recent events have once again exposed their agenda and thinking," he added.
The BJP leader also commented on the ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal dismissing the statements of Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, who called it impractical.
"Those criticising this plan are underestimating Prime Minister Narendra Modi's resolve," he said.
He recalled that similar doubts were raised about projects like the new Parliament building, the Rajpath being renamed as Kartavya Path, the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Bharat Mandapam, and the National War Memorial — yet all these were successfully completed.
Naqvi emphasised that ‘One Nation, One Election’ was the need of the hour.
He pointed out that most political parties are caught in an endless cycle of elections, which hampers the nation's development and wastes resources.
According to him, this initiative would not only strengthen democracy but also boost voter enthusiasm and participation across India.