Rahul Gandhi criticises Modi government over Kashmir unrest

When Manmohan Singh passed on the baton to Modi in May 2014, the situation in Jammu and Kashmir was quite normal, says Rahul Gandhi

The gains made by the UPA in Jammu and Kashmir have been lost by the Narendra Modi government, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi has said.

The gains made by the previous Congress-led UPA government have been nullified by the "fatalistic policies" of the Modi government, Gandhi said here on Monday night.

Speaking at an Eid Milan reception hosted by Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind chief Maulana Asad Madni here, Gandhi said that mishandling the situation in the Kashmir Valley had led to political turmoil.

Gandhi's remarks came amid street protests following the death of a top militant which has left over 30 people, mainly the young, dead and scores injured in firing by security forces in the Kashmir Valley.

The Monday event was attended by, among others, Sharad Yadav (JD-U), Sitaram Yechury and Mohd Salim (CPI-M) as well as Ghulam Nabi Azad, Salman Khurshid and Sri Prakash Jaiswal (Congress) besides Muslim groups.

Gandhi said that when Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister, he focused on Jammu and Kashmir and after years of toil "we succeeded in restoring peace and normalcy in the militancy-hit state."

However, all the gains made in the state were wasted by the Modi government by handling the situation in a most casual manner, he alleged.

Gandhi said he voiced his concern to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley about growing unrest in the Kashmir Valley when he met him regarding the GST bill a few months ago.

But Jaitley was "dismissive of my views and claimed that the situation is well under control. I kept mum after his observations."

When Manmohan Singh passed on the baton to Modi in May 2014, the situation in Jammu and Kashmir was quite normal, Gandhi said.

He said BJP leaders always used to state that the Congress did nothing for the country.

"Today, I am asking them: Who brought peace in the troubled state? We got the trust of the people in the state due to our policies, which alienated militant groups."