Soldiers being killed in J&K, no decline in ceasefire violations: Shiv Sena attacks Centre

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's party Shiv Seva has once again attacked the Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre over the recent killing of Indian soldiers' in Jammu and Kashmir and accused it of misleading the nation over the situation in the Union Territory.

In a strongly-worded editorial in its mouthpiece ''Saamana'', the party said that nearly 8 to 9 soldiers from Maharashtra were killed in Jammu and Kashmir last month. Blaming the central government for the soldiers' death in J&K, the Sena article said that the ''Maha Vikas Aghadi'' government in Maharashtra was not responsible for it.

Training its guns at the Centre, the Sena editorial questioned who is to be blamed for the soldiers' killing in J&K. It also attacked the Centre for misleading the country over the situation in J&K, saying the beginning of New Year 2020 has not been good in the Union Territory.

Alleging that ''all was not well in J&K'', the Saamana editorial said that the Narendra Modi dispensation was not telling the truth about Jammu and Kashmir. 

The party alleged that there has been no improvement in J&K ever since the scrapping of Article 370 by the Centre as the bloodshed still continues and Indian armed forces continue to pay a heavy price for it.

Despite the IAF airstrike in Pakistan's Balakot, terror camps in PoK continue to fourish and operate from there, the internet and communication channels have still not been fully restored in J&K, the Sena article said.   

Though SMS services were restored in J&K from the midnight of December 31, the internet services are yet to be restored, it said. All this means that the overall situation is not good in J&K and the PM Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah should have failed to improve the situation there.

The Saamana editorial further claimed that though the Indian Army's counter-insurgency operations continue in J&K, there has been a significant rise in incidents of ceasefire violations, cross-border infiltration and terror-related incidents in j&K.

The Sena article concluded by saying that there is an ''uneasy peace in J&K'' and tensions prevail along the Indo-China border which is not in the interest of the country. 

Uddhav Thackeray's party also cautioned the ruling dispensation that riots and terror attacks should not be used for “political gains”. The Maharashtra-based party had earlier criticised the Centre over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and warned that the entire country will face consequences of instability in Northeast.

Through its mouthpiece Saamana, the Shiv Sena had attacked the Centre by saying that the "guardians of Hindus" have created a situation of instability in Northeast. The Uddhav Thackeray-led party also said "vote bank politics" under the garb of the bill (CAB) is not in the interest of the country.

It may be noted that Shiv Sena had in past supported BJP over contentious issues like Triple Talaq, Article 370, Ram Temple but has changed its stance ever since it parted ways with the BJP due to disagreement the over seat-sharing formula in Maharashtra.