Chidambaram's Kashmir proposal compromises nat'l security: BJP

 BJP today hit out at former Home Minister P Chidambaram over his radical proposal on the Kashmir issue, saying it compromises the national security and asserted that the Modi government will secure the unity and integrity of the country without any compromise.

Senior party leader and Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said wisdom had dawned on the senior Congress leader after his party lost power and asked what the governments of "Nehru ji to Sonia ji" did all these years.
"This is nothing but cheap politics. This compromises national security of India," he told a press conference and termed Chidambaram's comments objectionable, saying it was least expected from a former home minister.

Chidambaram had yesterday advocated restoring the "grand bargain" under which Kashmir had acceded to India by granting a large degree of autonomy, warning that otherwise the country will have to pay a "heavy price". He also suggested relaxing AFSPA.

"After losing power, he is giving sermons. Our party and government are committed to the unity and security of the country. Its unity and integrity is paramount and not the life of a terrorist. We will secure it without any compromise whatsoever," Naidu said.

Attacking Chidambaram over his reported comments that there is a sense of fear in Kashmir over the PDP's alliance with BJP, he said Congress aligned with National Conference and PDP all these years and was not able to digest the "historical turn" the state had taken with the PDP-BJP alliance in power.

"He speaks about broken promises. He should say which promises. Now he remembers them. Congress ruled the country for all these years. It formed governments with NC and PDP. He was the home minister. He should say which were the promises not fulfilled.

"What did successive governments, from Nehru ji to Sonia ji, do?... This is nothing but doing politics over national security for short term benefits," Naidu said, targeting some "armed-chair" politicians and sections of media.

The Kashmir problem was not caused by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and people know who were in power and how they handled it, he said targeting Congress governments.

The government, Naidu said, was equally committed to the development of Kashmir and referred to Modi's visits to review developmental activities.
Referring to the killing of Burhan Wani, which sparked protests in the valley, he accused some parties and columnists of directly or indirectly showing sympathies with the terrorist, who was wanted in 15 murder cases, by making it a big issue.

"How can anybody sympathise with terrorists?... Those who are carrying out propaganda about Kashmir are doing injustice to the country," he said.

If security forces make mistakes, there is mechanism within system to redress them, he said.

Targeting Pakistan, Naidu said one can realise the extent of frenzy it is trying to build over the issue as he accused it of funding and abetting terrorism and referred to the Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Sayeed's mention of Wani at a meeting there. It is waging a proxy war against India, he said.

Opposition parties are carrying out misinformation campaign against the government due to the prime minister's rising popularity, he claimed.

He also made a mention of Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia's remarks in the Lok Sabha that there should be "plebiscite" in Kashmir and said Scindia clarified to him that he did not mean it.
Scindia had used Urdu word 'Rai shumari' which, he later clarified, was meant for dialogue.