'Exposes BJP's tall claims that everything is hunky-dory': Cong on recent J&K attacks

Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief Tariq Karra on Saturday said recent attacks in the Valley had exposed the Centre's "tall claims of peace" and that "everything is hunky-dory" in the Union Territory. Speaking to reporters at a party function marking the birth anniversary of India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, Karra cited the attack on CRPF personnel in Kulgam and the killing of two Special Police Officers (SPOs) in Kishtwar as evidence that the security situation remained a concern.

He criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah for citing open markets, functioning schools and the absence of strikes or stone-pelting as signs of normalcy in Kashmir, alleging that such claims overlooked the situation on the ground. "Whenever something like this happens, the government of India stands in the dock. You must have heard repeatedly, both inside and outside Parliament, whether it is the prime minister or the home minister; when it suits them, they say Kashmir is very peaceful, and nothing happens there," he said.

Karra alleged that the Centre tried to project an image of peace internationally but was exposed by its "poor performance and wrong policies". "Such incidents expose the tall claims of the BJP, including those of the prime minister and home minister, that everything is hunky-dory... It (attacks) is a failure of the security apparatus and the policies adopted by the government of India," he said. "The Centre forgets that this is a deceptive calm. If this is not a deceptive calm, then how do such incidents happen?" he added.

Karra’s remarks came days after terrorists riding a motorcycle opened fire on CRPF personnel at a checkpoint in Kulgam district on Wednesday afternoon, injuring three security personnel. The attack took place around 2.15 pm, when the assailants fired at the personnel before fleeing, officials said. The injured were taken to a hospital in Anantnag district for treatment. In a separate incident in Kishtwar, the bullet-riddled bodies of two SPOs who had gone missing on Wednesday were recovered on Thursday morning. The two personnel went missing while travelling from their camp towards an Army post at Dharna-Marwah on Wednesday.

When asked about actor and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut’s remarks on Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s book, Karra said he did not take Ranaut seriously. He said the comments reflected a lack of political maturity, culture and values. He added that the remarks would neither diminish Gandhi’s stature and respect nor weaken her resolve to revive democracy in the country. "The BJP and its mindset is getting exposed, that's all," he said.

Paying tribute to Nehru, Karra described him as one of the senior-most leaders of modern India, saying he had made great sacrifices for the country’s independence. He said Nehru laid the foundation of modern India, a legacy later carried forward by Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and other Congress leaders. Karra said Indian democracy was once admired and followed by countries around the world, but alleged that the BJP had weakened the democratic system.