Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said that had Sardar Patel been entrusted the responsibility of Kashmir by country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, it would not be an issue today. He said that even Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) would have become part of India long ago.
“But we must not worry about Kashmir as no power in the world would be able to come in the way and we will resolve it (Kashmir issue),” he said addressing an election rally at Bardoli as part of Gujarat Gaurav Yatra of BJP in the poll-bound state.
He warned Pakistan not to forget that the earlier slack Congress regime has been replaced by a resolute Modi government at the Centre and that its ploy to send terrorists across the border, unprovoked firing at an international line of control and interfering in India’s internal issues would no longer be tolerated. “Pakistan, whose name means holy but remains engulfed in doing unholy things all the time,” he said.
The Home Minister said that the current government has given security forces a free hand to deal with cross-border terrorism and firing, unlike in the previous regime. “The standing order is that though you must not start firing ever but, you don’t need to count bullets while retaliating. India is no more a weak country now. Even in Doklam stand-off with China, you saw it,” he added.
Published 14 October 2017, 13:21 IST