India
‘I was scared’: Former Home Minister Shinde recalls visits to J&K; BJP reacts | India News – Times of India
NEW DELHI: Former Union minister Sushil Kumar Shinde on Tuesday admitted that he was scared of militants during his visit to the capital Jammu and Kashmir. Lal Chowk during his term as Minister of the Interior.
Speaking at the launch of his memoir ‘Five Decades in Politics’, Shinde recounted his trek through the valley and said that he was advised to give a speech by Lal Chowk of Srinagar, which got him a lot of publicity.
“When I became Minister of the Interior, I visited education experts Vijay Dhar. I asked him for advice. He advised me not to roam around but to visit Lal Chowk (in Srinagar), meet people and go around Dal Lake,” Shinde said.
“That advice got me publicity and people thought that here is a Minister of the Interior who goes there without fear, but who should I tell that I was afraid? I only told you this to make you laugh, but an ex-police officer cannot talk like that,” he added.
Meanwhile, the BJP mocked Shinde and alleged that his statements serve as evidence of how, before the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A, the Congress and NC, along with the PDP, promoted the politics of “Pakistan Parasti Parivarwadi” in the Valley.
BJP Spokesperson for the National Party Shehzad Poonawala said: “This serves as evidence of how before the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A, the Congress and NC, along with the PDP, promoted PPP (Pakistan Parasti Parivarwadi) politics and stone-pelting in Jammu and Kashmir.”
“Now the politics of DDD (Development, Dialogue and Decentralisation) has taken over. Terrorism, which was once rampant, has come down considerably, stone-pelting has stopped, shutdowns have ended and casualties among civilians and security forces have come down. The terror hotspots have been transformed into tourist hotspots. Streets where terrorists used to fire bullets, now you see Sachin Tendulkar playing cricket. They should at least pay attention to these points raised by Sushil Kumar Shinde,” he added.
Shinde was appointed Home Minister in the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government in 2012. Shinde’s tenure as Home Minister saw the trials and executions of 26/11 Mumbai terror perpetrator Ajmal Kasab, convicted MP Afzal Guru and the 2012 Delhi gang rape case.
Speaking at the launch of his memoir ‘Five Decades in Politics’, Shinde recounted his trek through the valley and said that he was advised to give a speech by Lal Chowk of Srinagar, which got him a lot of publicity.
“When I became Minister of the Interior, I visited education experts Vijay Dhar. I asked him for advice. He advised me not to roam around but to visit Lal Chowk (in Srinagar), meet people and go around Dal Lake,” Shinde said.
“That advice got me publicity and people thought that here is a Minister of the Interior who goes there without fear, but who should I tell that I was afraid? I only told you this to make you laugh, but an ex-police officer cannot talk like that,” he added.
Meanwhile, the BJP mocked Shinde and alleged that his statements serve as evidence of how, before the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A, the Congress and NC, along with the PDP, promoted the politics of “Pakistan Parasti Parivarwadi” in the Valley.
BJP Spokesperson for the National Party Shehzad Poonawala said: “This serves as evidence of how before the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A, the Congress and NC, along with the PDP, promoted PPP (Pakistan Parasti Parivarwadi) politics and stone-pelting in Jammu and Kashmir.”
“Now the politics of DDD (Development, Dialogue and Decentralisation) has taken over. Terrorism, which was once rampant, has come down considerably, stone-pelting has stopped, shutdowns have ended and casualties among civilians and security forces have come down. The terror hotspots have been transformed into tourist hotspots. Streets where terrorists used to fire bullets, now you see Sachin Tendulkar playing cricket. They should at least pay attention to these points raised by Sushil Kumar Shinde,” he added.
Shinde was appointed Home Minister in the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government in 2012. Shinde’s tenure as Home Minister saw the trials and executions of 26/11 Mumbai terror perpetrator Ajmal Kasab, convicted MP Afzal Guru and the 2012 Delhi gang rape case.
