The BJP on Tuesday sought to corner the Congress over Rahul Gandhi's congratulatory message to three photojournalists from Jammu and Kashmir for winning the Pulitzer prize and asked the opposition party to explain whether it considers the Valley an integral part of India or not.
Referring to the work of the photojournalists and the award's citation, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra alleged that they saw Kashmir as a "contested territory".
"Will Sonia Gandhi answer? Whether she and the Congress party concur with Rahul Gandhi on the issue of Kashmir not being an integral part of India! Rahul today congratulated those who got an award for considering Kashmir as a 'Contested Territory'!" Patra tweeted, while posting his message with a hashtag calling Rahul Gandhi an "anti-national".
Earlier in his tweet, the Congress leader had said, "Congratulations to Indian photojournalists Dar Yasin, Mukhtar Khan and Channi Anand for winning a Pulitzer Prize for their powerful images of life in Jammu & Kashmir. You make us all proud."
Patra also posted some photographs, which he said were taken by one of the winning photographers, to ask Gandhi if he agreed with their content.
BJP's Amit Malviya also attacked the former Congress president in his tweet.
"Rahul Gandhi endorses journalists awarded by Pulitzer for capturing 'life in the contested territory of Kashmir as India revoked its independence'. Qs for Rahul: 1) does he consider Kashmir a contested territory? 2) was abrogating Art 370 an act of revoking Kashmir's independence?" he said.
Patra also targetted the three photo journalists for accepting the award and referred to the award's purported citation about India revoking Kashmir's "independence", a reference to the last year's annulment of Article 370, which had given the then state of Jammu and Kashmir a special status.
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Posting the "citation", he said, "The citation of the Pulitzer award to the three so called Indian journalists: 1) Why did these journalists accept this award ... An award is important or the sovereignty of your Nation is? 2)Rahul Gandhi & Congress congratulate them. Does Rahul concur?" Three photojournalists from Jammu and Kashmir have been awarded the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for their "striking images of life" in the Valley.
Channi Anand, Mukhtar Khan and Dar Yasin of the Associated Press won the award in the feature photography category.
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