Congress should introspect as to why clarification was necessary: Jay Panda on Rahul

Congress party and its leader Rahul Gandhi should introspect over latter's comment against Pakistan, said BJP leader Baijayant Jay Panda.

Panda added that Congress needs to mull as to why a clarification was needed.

"Rahul Gandhi seems to have issued a clarification that they believe that Kashmir is an internal matter of India. I think it requires introspection by him and his party members as to why this clarification was necessary. In the past few weeks, his and party members' statements have been celebrated in Pakistan. (They) have been repeatedly played up by Pakistani media as supporting Pakistan's point of view," Panda told ANI here.

"It is okay to have political differences inside our country because we are a democratic country. But when it comes to national interest, when it comes to established positions, right from the beginning to question that just for some political objective is not correct," he added.

Panda believes that this "clarification was necessary because it is not just the BJP or other political parties which are upset."

"People of India don't agree with this kind of sentiment which goes against the national interest. So, I think it is worth for these leaders and parties to introspect the kind of steps they are taking just out of sheer political opposition to question the national integrity and national unity. You can see the kind of push back they are facing from the public. They should introspect about that," he said.

Rahul Gandhi had on Wednesday hit out at Pakistan for instigating violence in Jammu and Kashmir and asserted that all matters related to the region are India's internal issues with no room for Pakistan's interference.

"I disagree with this Govt. on many issues. But, let me make this absolutely clear: Kashmir is India's internal issue and there is no room for Pakistan or any other foreign country to interfere in it," Rahul tweeted.

"There is violence in Jammu and Kashmir. There is violence because it is instigated and supported by Pakistan which is known to be the prime supporter of terrorism across the world," he wrote in another tweet.

His statement came after Pakistani Minister for Human Rights, Shireen Mazari, on Tuesday said she has a written a letter to 18 UN Special Procedures mandate on Kashmir issue. In her letter, Mazari has claimed that Rahul Gandhi has noted that people are dying in Jammu Kashmir.

Mazari in her letter, which is also posted on her Twitter, to the UN body quoted Gandhi. " ...acts of violence have even been acknowledged by mainstream politicians, such as the Leader of the Congress Party, Mr. Rahul Gandhi who has noted "people dying" in Jammu and Kashmir, in light of events "going very wrong there"," she wrote.