Sign in

Venkaiah Naidu accuses Prakash Karat of sympathising with stone pelters

Naidu accused the CPM leader of overlooking the help which terrorists receive from Pakistan

Updated on: Jun 6, 2017, 21:58:43 IST
Press Trust of India, Mumbai | By
Share
Share via
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • whatsapp
Copy link
  • copy link

Senior BJP leader and Union minister Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday slammed former CPM general secretary Prakash Karat for “finding faults” with the Indian Army and “sympathising” with Kashmiri stone pelters.

Union minister Venkaiah Naidu during a press conference in Mumbai on June 5. (HT Photo)
Union minister Venkaiah Naidu during a press conference in Mumbai on June 5. (HT Photo)

He also took a strong exception to a recent article by scholar Partha Chatterjee which purportedly compares Army chief Bipin Rawat to General Dyer, infamous for the Jalianwala Bagh massacre.

“These people have sympathy for a stone pelter. They do not have sympathy for people who are leaving their family and fighting for the cause of the country,” Naidu said in Mumbai in response to Karat’s statement.

Karat had on Monday said, “Unfortunately, the Army chief is reflecting the views of the Modi government which seeks to suppress the people of Kashmir (who are voicing their political protest) through sole reliance on use of force.”

Naidu accused the CPM leader of overlooking the help which terrorists receive from Pakistan.

“He (Karat) will not see the force used by Pakistan- inspired terrorists. Unfortunately, he is only trying to find faults with the Indian Army which is doing a great job to protect the unity and integrity of our country and secure our citizens. The neighbour (Pakistan) is abetting, aiding, funding and training terrorists,” the Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister said.

“Major Gogoi (who ordered a man to be tied to an army jeep to prevent stone pelting) did a great job of saving the lives of Election Commission officials and a local constable from a stone pelter,” he said.

Also, the article by scholar Partha Chatterjee comparing Chief of Army Staff Gen Rawat with General Dyer is “atrocious, height of perversion and idiotic comparison,” the senior BJP leader said.

Majority of Indians support the Army which is reflected by the public support for the forces on social media on the issue, the Union minister added.

Get the latest India News, breaking headlines and real-time updates from across the country. Stay informed about politics, government policies, crime, weather and major national developments.