SRINAGAR: While Kashmir has remained always an election issue, now Pandit Nehru has also joined the debate after almost 60 years of his death.
In a fiery speech at an election rally in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur, Home Minister Amit Shah launched a scathing attack on former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, accusing him of committing “blunders” in handling the Jammu and Kashmir issue. Shah’s remarks came in the context of Nehru’s decision to implement Article 370 in the region, a move he described as a grave mistake.
“Former PM Jawaharlal Nehru committed a blunder by implementing Article 370 in Kashmir,” Shah asserted, drawing applause from the crowd. He went on to praise Prime Minister Narendra Modi for rectifying this supposed error by abrogating Article 370 in August 2019 and hoisting the Indian flag in the region.
Shah didn’t stop at Article 370; he also blamed Nehru for the portion of Jammu and Kashmir currently occupied by Pakistan, attributing it to what he termed as Nehru’s “two blunders.” According to Shah, Nehru’s decision to declare a ceasefire during the 1948 India-Pakistan war, when victory was within grasp, and taking the Kashmir issue to the United Nations were pivotal mistakes that led to prolonged suffering in the region.
This isn’t the first time Shah has criticised Nehru’s handling of the Kashmir issue. In previous instances, including debates in the Lok Sabha, he has repeatedly pointed fingers at Nehru, labeling his actions as “Nehruvian blunders” that have had enduring repercussions.
