BJP Laughs Off Revanth Reddy's Assertion That Rahul Gandhi Could've Reclaimed PoK, Labeling it as Amusing
Tensions Flare Following Telangana CM's Remark on Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir
A political row has erupted after Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy suggested that former Congress leader Rahul Gandhi would have reclaimed Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) if he were the Prime Minister.
Speaking at the Congress 'Jai Hind Yatra' in Nizampet, Hyderabad, Reddy asserted, "If a leader like Rahul Gandhi would have been Prime Minister of this country, then he would have taken Indira Gandhi as inspiration and would have walked in Kaali's (Maata) way and would have made Pakistan into two parts and would have taken PoK back."
Responding to the statement, Union Minister Jitendra Singh termed it "hilarious" and placed the blame on former Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru for the division of Jammu and Kashmir. Singh said, "The fact is that had Rahul Gandhi's great maternal grandfather, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, not been the PM of India, the PoJK would not be what it is today."
Earlier, Reddy questioned the PM's decision to call a ceasefire on military operations against Pakistan without consulting political parties, despite an All-Party meeting prior to the commencement of military strikes. He emphasized that had Rahul Gandhi been the Prime Minister, India would have reclaimed PoK.
Meanwhile, the BJP criticized the Telangana CM's statement, with BJP MLA Dr. Ashishrao Deshmukh questioning the Grand Old Party's inaction regarding PoK while in power at the center. Union Minister and Telangana BJP President G Kishan Reddy stated categorically that the Congress had no right to speak on PoK, as it was responsible for the issue and terrorism.
Conversely, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari expressed confidence that when Rahul Gandhi comes to power, PoK would be part of India.
The controversy stems from the tumultuous events following India's partition in 1947, when Kashmir was partitioned into Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Indian-administered Kashmir. The division was rooted in the invasion by Pashtun tribesmen from Pakistan and the subsequent First Indo-Pakistani War, which ended with a United Nations-brokered ceasefire in 1949, establishing the de facto border known as the Line of Control (LoC) that divided Kashmir between India and Pakistan. Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, proposed a plebiscite to determine Kashmir's future. However, the precondition for a plebiscite included the withdrawal of Pakistani forces from the region, which never occurred, leading to the persistence of the issue.
- The ongoing political row relates to policy-and-legislation, as it revolves around the issue of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and the role of political leaders in addressing it.
- Opinions on the topic of war-and-conflicts and the handling of PoK are deeply polarized, with the Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy suggesting that different leadership could have resulted in the reclamation of PoK.
- The general-news landscape is filled with discussions on crime-and-justice, as the BJP has criticized the Congress for their inaction regarding PoK and terrorism while in power.
