Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Ghulam Nabi Azad Sunday defended his senior colleague and former home minister P Chidambaram saying that he did not say that hanging of Afzal Guru was wrong. “I heard his interview and P Chidambaram said that he was part of the Congress government which recommended hanging of Afzal Guru. He was talking about general perception on the hanging of Afzal Guru. World over there are varied perceptions about life imprisonment and executions,” Azad, the former chief minister of the state, told reporters at his residence at Nehru Guest house in Gupkar.“He (P Chidambaram) said that he did not say that hanging of Afzal Guru was wrong but he said I was part of the hanging,” the senior Congress leader said.
When asked that Kashmiri students in New Delhi and their parents here are worried after the JNU row erupted, Azad said the Home Minister (Rajnath Singh) has assured in the Parliament that no innocent students will be framed in the JNU case.
“I have said it in the parliament that I am against those people who raise slogans in favour of Pakistan and destroying India. Nobody whether a Muslim, Hindu or anyone else is allowed to speak against his own country,” Azad said.“But why should we punish those people who have not raised such slogans. I told the government in parliament that we should not punish a person for someone else’s crime. Then the Home Minister replied that no innocent will be booked or punished for raising slogans against the country in JNU.”Azad said that BJP and Prime Minister are responsible for the growing intolerance in the country.“BJP government and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi are responsible intolerance and Jawaharlal Nehru University fiasco. I have categorically told PM infront of him recently. I told him that your MPs, ministers and even some governors are making communal statements that will divide the country. I told him that we condemn the slogans of students in JNU and other universities which are against the country. But your ministers and party functionaries are also giving such slogans which are meant to divide the country,” he said.
Attacking BJP, Azad said that Congress party does not need to learn nationalism form BJP.“For BJP, nationalism is a new thing to them. Congress party has been fighting for nationalism from the last 130 years. Since BJP has come to power so they have to talk more to give an impression that they are in the race somewhere. By creating euphoria in some sections of the media, BJP cannot weaken our nationalism, and by talking repeatedly creating jingoism on it, they cannot make the people believe that they are nationalistic more than the Congress party is.”JKPCC president G A Mir slammed the PDP for keeping suspense over the government formation with BJP in the state.“50 days have passed after the death of Mufti Sahab, yet PDP is not coming clear over the government formation. People have the right to ask the PDP because they have voted for the party to represent them in the government. But we are surprised why Mehbooba Mufti is silent,” Mir said.Mir said that the Governor’s rule is not suitable to Jammu and Kashmir state and blamed PDP for bring governor rule to state. (KNS)