From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Jan 4: Senior Congress leader and Opposition leader in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “insulting” Indians by frequently harping on Pakistan and contended that “even Jammu and Kashmir police can defeat Pakistan, which is a dead horse.’’
Azad, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir, on Saturday accused Modi of repeatedly resorting to rhetoric in the name of Pakistan to divert the nation’s attention from real issues such as unemployment, declining GDP, economic slowdown, farmers’ distress and rising prices of essential commodities.
Addressing a news conference at the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee office, the Congress leader said “Pakistan is a dead horse. Just to divert issues, Pakistan name is raised frequently.’’
"What is Pakistan? If you send Kashmir police, they can also defeat Pakistan.The Prime Minister is rather insulting India by comparing it with Pakistan. It is a great insult to India. I’m sorry!” he said.
“The Prime Minister is insulting Indians to scare them by constantly citing Pakistan as a threat. It is very insulting that Pakistan will attack us. “I get insulted. Are we that weak?” he asked.
Pointing out that the real problems grappling the country were being deliberately ignored possibly because the Modi regime is unable to tackle them, Azad said “I have not seen the Prime Minister speaking on unemployment, the Home Minister speaking on farmers’ issues, any ministers talking about improving GDP and any of the BJP leaders speaking on controlling price rise. These are the issues that concern each and every individual, whatever religion or caste they may belong to.”
On the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests going on in different parts of the country, the senior Congress leader said in the past few decades he had not seen such a “spontaneous agitation” taking place across the country involving all sections of society, religions and regions.
"Why isn’t the government holding dialogue with the people and allay their genuine concerns?’’ he asked.
Azad said it was not only Muslims who were killed during anti-CAA protests in different parts of the country and said: “All sections of people are part of the protests. The entire country has risen to the occasion against this act.”
Noting that many political parties had opposed the Citizenship Amendment Bill, Azad said the BJP government used its “brute majority” in the Lok Sabha to pass the Bill and in Rajya Sabha it was passed with very narrow margin.
Five regional parties such as BJD, JD(U) and YSR Congress among others who supported the Bill in parliament, have now realised that they have done a ‘blunder’, he said.
Denying his party’s hand behind anti-CAA and NRC protests across the country, he said the BJP was making false allegations as they were inexperienced to rule such a vast and diverse country, where everyone is treated equally.