Excelsior Correspondent
FEROZPUR (HARYANA), Oct 12: Condemning Pakistan and its Armed Forces for once again resorting to unprovoked firing on Indian territory since yesterday in Arnia, Poonch & Rajouri sectors of J&K, Leader of Opposition & Former Chief Minister of J&K, Ghulam Nabi Azad said that India and its brave forces are capable of thwarting the attempts of aggression being committed by anti-India forces from across the border.
Azad said that these wanton and unprovoked acts of aggression depict the evil designs of Pakistan and our security forces will repulse all misadventures of Pakistan in a befitting manner.
This was stated by Azad while addressing public meetings at Ferozpur Jhirka, Penagva, Bas Dalla, Hateen and Tavru in Haryana, where he is campaigning for his party.
Azad further said that the repeated & unprovoked ceasefire violations targeting our civilian areas shows nothing but the frustration on the part of Pakistan and cheap attempt on the part of its Government to divert attention of its people from the internal problems which it is unable to overcome.
Lamenting that the NDA Government is playing with sentiments of the people of the country as also trivializing the sufferings of lakhs of residents of border areas, Azad said that Prime Minister’s boastful assurance in a public meeting two days ago where he claimed to have silenced Pakistani guns, has only proved to be mere rant aimed to secure few votes.
“Prime Minister has misled the country by claiming that we have shut the mouths of Pakistanis and they wont dare to fire into our territory in future, as within 24 hours of this boastful assurance by none other than the Prime Minister, Pakistan resumed heavy shelling, not only on International Border but also on Line of Control in Poonch & Rajouri sectors”, said Azad.
Azad said that the fresh violation of ceasefire agreement even after the assurance of the Prime Minister since yesterday in Arnia, Poonch and Rajouri sectors is unfortunate which has shaken the faith of the people of this country and accordingly, urged the NDA Government not to make politically motivated statements for playing vote bank politics at least on the issues relating to security and territorial integrity of the country.
Asserting that he has highest regards for the Prime Minister and the office he is holding, Azad said that is it not the moral duty of the Prime Minister to fulfil the promise he has made to the people that once BJP will come to power ceasefire violations and Chinese incursions will evaporate into thin air.
“Why the reverse of what BJP and its leadership promised is happening and there has been an unprecedented spurt in the ceasefire violations ever since BJP and NDA has taken over in Delhi”? asked Azad.
“Is it not a fact that China even showed the gumption to intrude into our territory when its President Xi Jinping was on an official visit to India and Prime Minister Modi was busy in extending “protocol” (which PM derided when Salman Khurshid accompanied President Zardari to Ajmer) to him, besides sharing ‘swing’ with him”, said Azad.
Azad said that it is the right of the people of the country to ask questions to the Government which they have elected to power and that NDA Government should not try to silence the voice of the people instead of silencing the Pakistani guns.
Asserting that it is in the DNA of Congress party to give primacy to national interest over narrow partisan considerations, Azad said that at this crucial juncture “we are fully behind our armed forces and the nation in fighting the acts of aggression and threat to our borders from Pakistan.”
Reminding the NDA Government of the support which Congress party extended on all crucial occasions, irrespective of political considerations, Azad said that we fully supported NDA during Lahore Bus Yatra, Kargil war and in 2001 when Atalji gave a call for ‘aar par ki ladai’ in true spirit of nationalism and patriotism.
Repeating the charge against BJP and NDA, Azad said that ceasefire violations and border tensions escalate as and when BJP & NDA assume power in the Centre making the people of border areas suffer inexplicable hardships and pains.
“When did Kargil happen? When did the slogans of “aar par ki ladai” reverberate in the air as the country saw a massive border build-up in 2001 to unfortunately end up with a whimper, and not a bang”,? asked Azad
Reacting to the allegations of BJP and its leadership that Opposition leaders are trying to gain political advantage when our borders are being violated, Azad reminded that it is Prime Minister and the BJP who set the wrong precedent of politicising the subjects of national security and foreign policy before the Lok Sabha elections by consistently raking up sensitive issues in public meetings, adding that this should not make them jittery now and they need not hide under the mask of national interest and threat to territorial integrity of the country.
Azad said “we know what the national interest is and we are fully aware of our responsibilities as a historical party but I would like to ask my friends in BJP why they get angry when somebody asks them to fulfil their electoral promise of bringing an end to the ceasefire violations by Pakistan and incursions by Chinese forces.”
Thundering that nationalism is not the copyright of BJP as it tends to believe mistakenly, Azad said that Congress party’s role and contributions from freedom struggle to building India into a strong and self-confident country cannot be erased from the annals of history as well as minds of the people of the country.
Azad said that Congress party is not going to accept the preposterous assumption that BJP and nationalism are synonymous as he can forsee the dangers inherent in such a parochial thinking, adding that this is anti-thetical to the very grain of constitution and democratic values which Mahatma Gandhi and our founding fathers have visualized for this country at the time of independence.
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