Cong 'fear-mongering' over Article 370: Singh

Union minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday hit out at the Congress for "fear-mongering" after abrogating provisions of Article 370 for its "own survival".

The Union minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) claimed that the Congress and its Kashmir ally, the National Conference, have over several decades, "thrived and flourished" by creating a "fear psychosis".

This enabled these two parties to perpetuate their dynastic rule, generation after generation, by creating an impression that they are the only political players in the political spectrum of Kashmir and in their absence, there would be nobody to take charge of the political responsibility, he told reporters here after returning from a three-day tour of the North East.

Singh said what is more worrying is that even a person like Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, "who believes himself to be the prime minister-in-waiting has succumbed to the temptation of fear mongering for political survival".

The minister alleged that the matter of fact is some of these politicians who project themselves as the sole saviours of Kashmir have, in fact, "ended up as wreckers of Kashmir", the outcome of which is what "we witnessed today".

Denouncing the "fake reports" about violence in Kashmir valley, Singh, who represents Udhampur constituency of Jammu and Kashmir in Lok Sabha, said nowadays and in the age of real time reporting, when a person sitting at home can also visualise any location through the satellite, it is not only condemnable but ridiculous to even respond to such unsubstantiated reports.

He said the kind of peace and normalcy being witnessed in last few days in Kashmir on the eve of Eid, is much more than what was witnessed on several such occasions in the bygone years.

Brushing aside the reaction in certain sections about the restrictions in Kashmir, Singh recalled that these questions are getting prompted because in subconscious mind "we tend to link these restrictions with abrogation of Article 370".

"But, let us not forget that even in the past, when Article 370 was in force and not abrogated, from time to time, restrictions like temporary suspension of Internet and mobile were carried out depending upon restrictions by the security agencies," he said .