 "Rahul Gandhi, Congress Vice President, Congress")
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has refuted former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah's assertion that a third party, such as the US or China, can be approached for the settlement of the Kashmir issue between India and Pakistan.
"I have been asserting for long that it's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his policies at the Centre that have destroyed Jammu and Kashmir. And the point that is being mentioned that a third party's intervention should be invited for the settlement of the issue, it's wrong. India is Kashmir and Kashmir is India," Rahul said on Friday.
"It's our internal matter and no other country should have any say in it," he added.
Earlier in the day, Abdullah said that India should approach third parties, such as the United States and China, to mediate in the Kashmir issue.
Abdullah said India has so many allies across the globe, which can be approached for settling the Kashmir issue to act as a mediator between India and Pakistan.
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"For how long are you going to wait? Sometimes, you have to pull the bull by its horns. The way is to have a dialogue. India has so many friends all across the world. They can ask them to act as a mediator. US President Trump himself said that he wants to settle Kashmir problem. China also said that it wants to mediate in Kashmir. Somebody has to be approached," Abdullah said.
"If India is ready to talk to China and does not want to get into war, then they can talk to Pakistan also," he added.
Quoting former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's statement - Friends can be changed, but not neighbours, the National Conference (NC) leader said that arrogance and stubbornness would not let any of the nations progress and develop.
"The stubbornness, exhibited by both the nations, will not lead us anywhere. Remember what Atal Bihari said, 'Friends can be changed, but not neighbours. One can move forward while maintaining friendship or can regress by becoming enemies,'" he said.
Expressing concern over the ongoing tension in the Valley, Abdullah appealed to the Government to bring the disturbing elements light and punish them.
"If the youth of tomorrow are targetted today, how will they run the nation? I would like to urge the Government to expose the perpetrators," he said.
"We are being sandwiched. People die every day. The situation is worse in the Valley," he added.
This is not the first time when the Congress vice-president has blamed Prime Minister Modi for creating space for militancy in the state.
"Modi's policies have created space for terrorists in Kashmir. Grave strategic blow for India," Rahul had earlier tweeted.
"Short term political gain for Modi from PDP alliance has cost India massively. Modi's personal gain=India's strategic loss + sacrifice of innocent Indian blood," the tweet added.
The BJP reacted by blaming the country's first prime minister and Rahul's great-grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru and the Gandhi family for all the problems in Kashmir.
Union minister Smriti Irani also hit out at Rahul for criticising Prime Minister Modi for the attack on Amarnath pilgrims and politicising the issue at a time when the country was "united against terrorism".
"Upon return from strategic and very well known holiday, Mr Gandhi has chosen to attack the Prime Minister, especially when nation stands united against terrorism," Irani said.
The BJP also has been dubbing Rahul Gandhi as "immature" owing to his tweets targetted at the Centre.
Jammu and Kashmir is embroiled in violent chaos since July last year when Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed by the security forces.
