Trust cannot be demanded through veiled threats, BJP takes dig at NC leadership

Jammu, Jul 27: Jammu and Kashmir Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Sunday took a dig at the National Conference leadership stating that the trust between Kashmir and New Delhi could not be “demanded through emotional theatrics or veiled threats.”

Senior J&K BJP leader and former MLC Girdhari Lal Raina, while reacting sharply to recent remarks by National Conference (NC) president and former Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah regarding the alleged “erosion of trust” between Kashmir and the rest of India, stated that trust was built through consistent and sincere action.

Raina pointed out the conspicuous absence of Dr Farooq Abdullah, his party, and other Kashmir-centric political formations from Kargil Vijay Diwas commemorations—an event where the nation comes together to honour the courage and sacrifice of Indian soldiers who repelled Pakistani aggression.

“While the rest of the country stood united in remembering our martyrs, the silence from these leaders on such a solemn national occasion speaks volumes,” he noted. Raina criticised, what he alleged, “the double-speak and selective engagement of the National Conference leadership.”

“On one hand, Dr Farooq Abdullah tells the nation in a televised interview that the trust between Kashmir and the rest of India has ‘completely snapped’; on another day, he rhetorically asks when Kashmiris will be ‘treated like Indians’. This oscillation between grievance and grandstanding lacks credibility,” Raina asserted.

He also recalled how former Chief Minister (Farooq) once controversially remarked that Kashmiris might prefer Chinese rule over Indian democracy, only to later declare, in dramatic fashion, “I am an Indian Muslim, not a Pakistani.” Raina termed such posturing as opportunistic and confusing for the public, designed more to provoke than to resolve.

Responding to frequent references by NC leaders to “regional and cultural identity,” former MLC said, India always celebrated its rich regional diversity, but within the larger framework of national unity.

“Regional identities- be it Marathi, Tamil, Gujarati or Kashmiri – are respected and protected. But none can use regional sentiment to question national integrity or play political games at the cost of national interest,” he added.