Cong slams Centre over J-K, Rahul says Oppn, press got taste of 'draconian admin, brute force'

The Congress on Sunday hit out at the Modi government over the situation prevailing in Jammu and Kashmir, with Rahul Gandhi saying the opposition and the press got a taste of the "draconian administration" and "brute force" unleashed on the people there when they tried to visit Srinagar.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra slammed the Centre for alleging that the opposition was politicising the issue, saying there is nothing more "political" and "anti-national" than the alleged "shutting down" of democratic rights of people in Kashmir.

A delegation of opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, which wanted to visit the Valley to take stock of the situation after the withdrawal of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, was not allowed to leave the Srinagar airport on Saturday by the state administration and had to return to the national capital.

The visit was organised a day after the Jammu and Kashmir government issued a statement asking political leaders to not visit the Valley as it would disturb the gradual restoration of peace and normal life.

"It's been 20 days since the people of Jammu & Kashmir had their freedom and civil liberties curtailed," Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet.

"Leaders of the Opposition and the Press got a taste of the draconian administration and brute force unleashed on the people of J&K when we tried to visit Srinagar yesterday," he said.

The former Congress president also posted a video of Saturday's events, showing him unsuccessfully trying to convince authorities that he was invited by Governor Satya Pal Malik.

Rahul Gandhi was referring to Malik's offer to "send an aircraft" for him to visit the state, after the Congress leader had said, "People were dying in the state and the situation was not normal as claimed by the government."