The National Congress Party (NCP) chief, Sharad Pawar, has said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is creating a “poisonous atmosphere” in India by spreading false propaganda about the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Kashmir valley through “The Kashmir Files”, a film showcasing the plight of the community.
Sharad Pawar addressing a convention of the minorities department of the Delhi unit of his party said, “Such a film should not have been cleared for screening. But it is given tax concessions and those responsible for keeping the country united are encouraging people to watch the film that stokes anger among people.”
He said, it is true that Kashmiri Pandits had to leave the valley, but Muslims too were targeted in a similar manner. The NCP chief also hit out at the BJP for dragging Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of the country, into the debate, while pointing out that the Kashmiri Pandits had to leave the valley when Vishwanath Pratap Singh was the prime minister.
“The V P Singh government was backed by the BJP. Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was the home minister and Jagmohan, who later contested the Lok Sabha polls from Delhi as a BJP candidate, was the governor of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
Pawar said the then Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Farooq Abdullah had quit following differences with Jagmohan and it was the governor who facilitated the departure of Kashmiri Pandits from the valley.—KMS
