Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley slams Congress over Kashmir issue, says elections in Congress era subject of folklore.In the Rajya Sabha today Arun Jaitley said "Congress ruled Jammu and Kashmir using undemocratic means and the party had manipulated the election processes in Jammu and Kashmir to stay in power. Congress’ mistakes are hurting Kashmir, not the recent rule of the BJP".Arun Jaitley slammed the Congress party during the Kashmir debate. He was responding to Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad's allegations that the situation deteriorated in the last 4.5 years."The elections at the time were a matter of joke in Kashmir. Everybody knows how elections were conducted," Jaitley said recounting his version of history of the state.The Kashmir issue found resonance in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday as finance minister Arun Jaitley hit out at the NC, Congress and PDP over President’s Rule. Jaitley blamed Congress for the situation in Kashmir, saying problems in the Valley existed before 2014.Union Minister Arun Jaitley hits out at National Conference (NC) and Congress in Rajya Sabha over President's Rule debate in Jammu and Kashmir. "Problems in Kashmir did not start in 2014 after BJP came to power, Congress and NC ruined Kashmir," he said, adding that the saffron party had no role in creation of J&K.Meanwhile Ghulam Nabi Azad said "You cannot abuse them for 20 years and then rule them. I had warned that the BJP will prove to be a redrag in the state if it comes to power and I was not wrong. The security situation in Kashmir is at its lowest. The recruitment to militancy has increased and the employment is at an all-time low".
While debating the proclamation issued by the President under article 356 in relation to the State of Jammu and Kashmir", Ghulam Nabi Azad praised Atal Bihari Vajpayee for trying to resolve the Kashmir conflict. He said that Vajpayee understood the pain of the Kashmiri people. He said that it was because of internal strife within the party that Vajpayee could not deliver a solution to the Kashmir conflict.However TMC MP Derek O'Brien slams Jaitley's speech on Kashmir he said defence over the situation in Kashmir in Rajya Sabha. Derek said, "When finance minister makes guest appearance for Home minister, people know there's a strong message coming from the government."However CPI leader and MP D Raja said in Rajya Sabha "I do consider Article 356 was an unconstitutional, undemocratic act. We should understand what Ambedkar said. He made it clear that ordinarily, Article 356 should remain a dead letter. When you use Article 356, there should be extraordinary situation”."Kashmir is considered to be paradise on earth. But the question of whether we will lose this paradise is haunting everyone. Why is there unrest among young people? They are extremely articulate and well-informed," he said."Why should there be a sense of alienation among the young people of Jammu and Kashmir?" he said.BJP's Rakesh Sinha said in Rajya Sabha "The prime minister gave a package of Rs 80,000 crore to Jammu and Kashmir"."In 1984 and 1986, when the governments in Jammu and Kashmir were brought down, Rajnath Singh was not the home minister," Sinha said in the Upper House."In the studies conducted world over in Jammu and Kashmir, the most credible elections took place in 2002, when the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government was in power," said the BJP leader.Kashmir's history is being misinterpreted," he said. (PTK)