New Delhi, July 29: Baramulla Member of Parliament Engineer Rashid on Wednesday launched a blistering attack on both the BJP and the Congress in the Lok Sabha, accusing successive governments of adopting “double standards” in their approach towards protests and public dissent in Kashmir.
Drawing a comparison between the Centre’s engagement with Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk and its handling of Kashmir, Rashid questioned what he described as the government’s selective outreach to protesters.
He said it was encouraging that the government chose dialogue with protesting students and persuaded Sonam Wangchuk to end his fast, but asked why a similar approach had never been adopted in Kashmir.
Rashid also referred to the civilian killing of an auto driver, Arif Hussain, in Bhadarwah, alleging that Jitendar Singh should have visited the bereaved family in his constituency instead of offering juice to Sonam Wangchuk to end his fast.
The Baramulla MP further alleged that governments led by both the Congress and the BJP responded to the 2010 and 2016 unrest in Kashmir with force rather than dialogue. Referring to the use of pellet guns during those periods, he said hundreds of young Kashmiris suffered life-altering eye injuries and questioned the differing standards applied to protests in different parts of the country. [KNT]
