the goan I network
PANAJI
Drawing a parallel in the histories between Goa and Jammu & Kashmir, former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday said Goa had to bear the brunt of an extended Portuguese colonial rule because of the Congress and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister.
“Because of Congress and Nehru’s leadership the Portuguese continued in Goa for so many years,” Chouhan, who is the convenor of Bharatiya Janata Party’s national membership drive said at a press conference at the party headquarters in Panaji.
He is in Goa to take stock of the party’s State unit’s membership drive.
Chouhan said, people from Goa were agitating and many from Maharashtra, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh came to help as Goa was an integral part of India. He blamed Nehru for the delay in liberating Goa and called it “wrong priorities”.
He also blamed Nehru for the grant of ‘special status’ to Kashmir for similar, indecisiveness displayed by him while dithering from taking a decision to liberate Goa earlier.
“The manner in which Goa has progressed, Jammu and Kashmir too will develop. Terrorism will be eradicated and so will poverty,” Chouhan added while hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi for abrogating Article 370 and undoing what he called “Nehru’s historic mistake”. Chouhan claimed there was no demand for ‘special status’ when Kashmir accession treaty was signed and J&K merged with India like other states.
“It was because of fondness for Shaikh Abdullah. I am surprised at Nehru’s perspective sometimes. When Pakistani nomads attacked India and Indian forces bravely drove away Pakistani forces, a one-sided truce was announced,” Chouhan claimed.
He said, the decision to take the matter to UN and the one-sided truce cost India a large part of Kashmir and PoK was created.
“If Nehru had waited for some time, all of Kashmir would be with India. It was Nehru’s historic failure. Not just this, the matter was taken to the UN. An invitation was given to [others] to
interfere in India’s internal issue. And after that Article 370 was slapped,” Chouhan claimed. Hitting out at the Congress, Chouhan said the Opposition party’s leaders were speaking in different tongues on the abrogation of Article 370, adding that neither Sonia Gandhi or her son Rahul have spoken out theirs or the party’s position.
The former chief minister of MP also claimed that there was an agitation against Section 370 for seventy years, adding that terrorism was emboldened and the country’s unity broken due to some selfish Kashmiri leaders, who filled their houses.
“Common Kashmiris did not develop with Article 370. Only two-three families prospered,” he said.
“Congress is still wrapped in confusion. I do not even know if it is a party or something else. Some leaders are openly supporting the decision to abrogate Article 370,” Chouhan said and picked out former Union Home Minister P Chidambaram for the latter’s claim that Article 370 would not have been abrogated if Kashmir was a Hindu power. Chouhan also said, the Congress is disintegrating and termed Rahul Gandhi ‘Ranchoddas’.
“Abrogating Article 370 has nothing to do with Hindus and Muslims. But those who have got votes by appeasement cannot see anything else,” Chouhan said and accused Chidambaram of narrow-mindedness.
“It was his job as president to strengthen party after loss. But he opted out first,” Chouhan said, adding it is a strange situation for a political party.
“Congress’ woes will not get over unless family rule ends,” Chouhan added.
Nothing wrong with Lobo wanting to buy land in Kashmir: Ex-MP CM
PANAJI: BJP vice-president Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday said there was nothing wrong (issme kya dikkat hai?) in Goa Cabinet Minister Michael Lobo publicly expressing his desire to buy a plot of land and build a house in Kashmir.
Lobo had made his controversial remark while congratulating Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for abrogation of Article 370 and doing away with J&K’s special status during the recently concluded monsoon session of the Goa legislative assembly.
Chouhan made the remark when he was asked to comment on Lobo’s comments.
He said, the country was one and anybody can aspire to buy land in any part of the country.
