Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha M. Mallikarjun Kharge has criticised Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for belittling the policies and programmes pursued by India’s first Prime Minister late Jawaharlal Nehru and said that it was the visionary policies and programmes of Nehru that set India on the path of development from scratch, after Independence.
Referring to a statement of Mr. Jaitley blaming Nehruvian policies on Jammu and Kashmir for the present problems in the valley, Mr. Kharge told presspersons here on Monday that it is a favourite past-time of the BJP leaders now to blame Nehru and the Indira Gandhi family for every problem and failures.
He said that the policy adopted by Nehru on Kashmir should be viewed keeping in mind the situation prevailing in the valley at that time. The Union government instead of indulging in a blame game should set itself on the path to finding permanent solution to the crisis in the valley.
Mr. Kharge said that but for the economic policies framed by Nehru after taking over as the first Prime Minister, and his efforts to bring in a socialistic pattern of society, the country would not have marched forward and achieved the kind of development which it had come to achieve now. The National Democratic Alliance government, led by the BJP, now speaks of “Make In India”, but it was during the tenure of Nehru that the concept of “Made in India” took a firm foothold in the country with the establishment of a number of public sector units.
He said that the space programmes devised by the previous Congress governments were paying rich dividends and they have made India a leading power in space technology.
Sedition charge
To a question whether the State government was hasty in filing a sedition charge against Amnesty International India in connection with anti-India and anti-Indian Army slogans at a seminar on the Kashmir issue at the United Theological College in Bengaluru a few days ago, Mr. Kharge said that he was not aware under which circumstances the sedition charge was filed, but the mere filing of an FIR containing a sedition charge is not final and after completion of investigation, a charge-sheet containing the facts would be filed.
Appeal to BJP
He reiterated his appeal to the BJP and the Sangh Parivar not to politicise the incident and have patience till the investigating agencies completed investigation. The recent incidents of a BJP worker being killed by activists in Dakshina Kanada on the charge of transporting cows only further strengthened the case against the BJP and Sangh Parivar that they speak in two voices. In the Dadri and Dakshina Kannada incidents, it has been proved beyond doubt that the BJP leaders who were speaking against killing cows were indulging in marketing beef.
The Union government, instead of indulging in blame game, should set itself on the path to finding a permanent solution to the crisis in Kashmir
M. Mallikarjun Kharge,Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha
