J&K children are nationalists, sometimes they're motivated in wrong direction: Rajnath Singh

The children of Jammu and Kashmir are nationalists, but they are sometimes being motivated in the wrong direction, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Wednesday.

The comments come days after Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat said girls and boys, as young as 10 and 12, were being radicalised in Kashmir, adding that it was a matter of concern.

"The kids of Jammu Kashmir are nationalists. They shouldn't be seen in any other way," Singh, who is visiting the NCC Republic Day Camp in Delhi, said when asked about his opinion on kids in the state who are being motivated to join the National Cadet Corps.

"Youngsters are youngsters only. Sometimes, the way they should be motivated, people do not motivate them. In fact, they are motivated in the wrong direction.

"That is why the kids should not be blamed for this. The ones who are wrongly motivating them should be blamed. The ones who are motivating them in wrong direction are the culprits," the defence minister added.