‘Does Congress Back NC's Anti-Reservation, Divisive Agenda’: Shah Fires 10 Questions At Rahul Gandhi

Amit Shah questioned Congress's stance on reservations and highlighted the Modi government's efforts to provide reservations to marginalised groups after revoking Article 370 and 35A in J&K.

File photo of Union Home Minister Amit Shah

Source : PTI

Union Home Minister Amit Shah lashed out at senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over the party's alliance with the National Conference (NC) for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, questioning his stance on supporting the JKNC manifesto, which calls for abolishing reservations for Dalits, Gujjars, Bakerwals, and Pahadis.

He asked Gandhi to clarify the stand of the Congress Party on reservation policy and stated that the Modi government has put an end to years of discrimination against Dalits, tribes, Pahadis, and backward communities by providing them with reservations after the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A.

The Modi govt ended years of discrimination against Dalits, tribes, Pahadis, and backward communities by granting them reservations after the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A.

Does Rahul Gandhi support the JKNC manifesto, which calls for abolishing reservations for Dalits,… pic.twitter.com/stWDb8b48Z

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) August 23, 2024

"The Modi govt ended years of discrimination against Dalits, tribes, Pahadis, and backward communities by granting them reservations after the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A. Does Rahul Gandhi support the JKNC manifesto, which calls for abolishing reservations for Dalits, Gujjars, Bakerwals, and Pahadis? After allying with the National Conference, he should now clarify the Congress Party's stand on reservation policy, " Amit Shah wrote in a post on X.

Amit Shah also fired 10 questions at the Congress, accusing it of repeatedly risking the nation’s unity and security to satiate its greed for power, by allying with the Abdullah family's 'National Conference' in the Jammu and Kashmir elections.

The Congress party, which has repeatedly risked the nation’s unity and security to satiate its greed for power, has once again exposed its ulterior motives by allying with the Abdullah family's 'National Conference' in the Jammu and Kashmir elections.

Given the promises made in… pic.twitter.com/omxj3xOdP3

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) August 23, 2024

Amit Shah posed a series of questions to the Congress party, challenging their stance on several issues. He asked whether Congress endorses the National Conference's proposal for a separate flag for Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and their plan to potentially reinstate Articles 370 and 35A, which he claims would reignite unrest and terrorism in the region. He inquired if Congress supports engaging with Pakistan to trade Kashmir’s youth for separatist agendas and whether they back the National Conference's decision to open trade across the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan, which Shah argues could foster terrorism.

Shah also questioned whether Congress endorses the reinstatement of individuals involved in terrorism and stone-pelting to government positions, and if they agree with the National Conference's alleged plan to end reservations for Dalits, Gujjars, Bakarwals, and Paharis, thus doing injustice to these communities.

He asked whether Congress supports rebranding Shankaracharya Parvat as Takht-e-Suliman and Hari Parvat as Koh-e-Maran, and if they back the economic mismanagement of J&K by returning it to corrupt practices. Lastly, he questioned if Congress supports the National Conference's politics of discrimination between Jammu and the Kashmir Valley and their vision of greater autonomy for Kashmir.

As the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections approach, sources indicated that a potential seat-sharing agreement within the I.N.D.I.A bloc, where the Congress is likely to contest around 40 seats and the National Conference (NC) approximately 50. Both parties may allocate some of their seats to other alliance partners.

Omar Abdullah, Vice President of NC confirmed on Friday that the seat-sharing deal with Congress has been finalised for most constituencies, with ongoing discussions for the remaining ones. This confirmation follows NC President Dr. Farooq Abdullah's announcement of a pre-poll alliance with Congress for the assembly elections.

The NC-Congress alliance was initially revealed by Farooq Abdullah after meetings with Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday.

The assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will take place in three phases on September 18, September 25, and October 1, with vote counting scheduled for October 4. The alliance intends to present a united front to voters, with a joint manifesto focused on serving the people of Jammu and Kashmir over the next five years.