'The Kashmir Files' was shown to 'influence' voters in favour of BJP: NCP president Sharad Pawar

On the violence that broke out in the Jahangirpuri area of Delhi, Sharad Pawar said Amit Shah failed to protect Delhi from communal riots.

File Photo (ANI)

New Delhi: NCP president Sharad Pawar on Saturday (April 23, 2022) attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party and claimed that 'The Kashmir Files' film was shown "to influence voters in favour of the BJP. 

Speaking at a rally of the Nationalist Congress Party at Kolhapur in western Maharashtra, Pawar was referring to the recently held byelection to Kolhapur North assembly constituency/

He added that luckily, the people of Kolhapur rejected this politics (as the Congress candidate won). 

When insurgency intensified in Jammu and Kashmir in the early 1990s (leading to the forced exile of Kashmiri Pandits), VP Singh was Prime Minister and his government had the BJP's support, but this fact was hidden, Pawar said. 

"The Kashmir Files", which depicts the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus from Kashmir following systematic killings of people from the community by Pakistan-backed terrorists, was released on March 11 and had recently kicked up a political storm.

The movie is being actively pushed by BJP-ruled states by either offering tax concessions or giving government employees special leave to watch it. The Opposition has, however, termed the film one-sided and too violent.

Amit Shah failed to protect Delhi from communal violence

On the violence that broke out in the Jahangirpuri area of Delhi during the Hanuman Jayanti processions earlier this month, Sharad Pawar said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah failed to protect Delhi, the country's capital, from communal riots.

"A few days back, Delhi was burning due to communal tensions. The state of Delhi is controlled by (chief minister) Arvind Kejriwal, but its police comes under the Union Home Ministry handled by Amit Shah. Shah failed to protect the city from communal riots," the NCP chief said. 

"If anything happens in Delhi, the message goes out to the world. The world would imagine that there is unrest in Delhi," Pawar said. 

"Delhi is our national capital and some parts of it witnessed clashes, people attacked each other and there was arson," the NCP chief further said. 

"Amit Shah should have taken steps to keep Delhi unified and undivided, but he failed to do so. You have power, but you can not even handle a city like Delhi," Pawar said.

Why are international leaders coming to India taken to Gujarat alone

He also wondered why international leaders coming to India are "taken to Gujarat alone".

"I am glad that an international leader is visiting Gujarat. But whether it is then US President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping or the latest visit of the UK Prime Minister (Boris Johnson), all were taken to Gujarat and not to any other states. It shows what the rulers in Delhi think about other states," Pawar said.

"We are facing a major struggle to keep this country united," he said, adding that after the 2014 general elections the gap between communities and people widened. 

Now ED is everywhere

Talking about the alleged misuse of central investigation agencies, Pawar said very few people knew about the Enforcement Directorate earlier, but "now ED is everywhere".

"First they charged former (Maharashtra) home minister Anil Deshmukh with taking Rs 100 crore bribe, but later changed their statement to Rs four crore. Similarly, a 20-year-old case against (state minister) Nawab Malik was dug out selectively and he was framed up," the NCP chief alleged. 

Both the NCP leaders are facing money-laundering probes. 

"If the Union government thinks that the NCP or other opposition parties can be muzzled with the help of ED or CBI, then they are living in a fool's paradise," the former Union minister said. 

While stating that the defeat in the 2014 general elections was "people's mandate" which was accepted "humbly", Pawar told NCP workers that "we have to uproot the communal forces that are currently in power in this country." 

"We have to address the problems of the youth who are in dire poverty and ease the burden of the common man who is reeling under double-digit inflation," said the NCP chief. 

(With agency inputs)