Garhshankar/Jalandhar, August 3, 2019 (Yes Punjab News)
Sri Anandpur Sahib MP and the National Spokesperson of the Congress Manish Tewari today lashed out at the Bhartiya Janata Party led National Democratic Alliance government at the centre for its failure to provide security to the Amarnath pilgrims.
“It is strange that while on the one hand the government had deployed additional forces in the Kashmir valley, on the other hand it has called off the Amarnath Yatra and asked the tourists to vacate the valley”, he said here today.
“Never ever has Amarnath Yatra been suspended like that”, Tewari said, in an informal conversation with reporters after addressing a largely attended public meeting here today. He said, if the government that has pretensions of being so strong, cannot provide security to the pilgrims, it has no right to make bogus claims about dealing with the militancy with iron fist.
He said, Pakistan has repeatedly been disrupting peace in Kashmir right since 1947. It reached its extreme when an entire population of Hindus was displaced in 1990 during the Prime Ministership of VP Singh, who was supported by the BJP and the Communists.
“Even then the Amarnath Yatra was not suspended”, he remarked, while adding, this is regretful that the government failed in providing security to the pilgrims despite the deployment of additional forces.
Tewari said, the Congress does and will always support the government at the centre in its fight against Pakistan and the Pakistan sponsored terrorism. “But that does not mean we in Congress will turn a blind eye to the government’s abject surrender to the terrorists by calling off the yatra and asking the tourists to leave from the land which belongs to all of us as Indians”, he said.
The Congress spokesperson called upon the government to end the atmosphere of suspense and uncertainty prevailing in the Kashmir valley. “Every concerned Indian is wondering as what is going to happen in Kashmir and each one of us has a right to know”, he said.
Among others present on the occasion included, ex-MLA Love Kumar Goldy, Pankaj Kirpal, RP Soni, Kishan Dev Singh, Gurlal Sailla, Capt Surinder, Rajinder, RK Bhatti, Harmeshvar Singh, Harvail Singh and others.
