Srinagar- A major controversy has erupted in Jammu and Kashmir over the speculated participation of former minister Lal Singh in Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra, with two major regional parties National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party taking pot-shots at their one time ally Congress.
National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah said the Congress should not allow former minister Chaudhary Lal Singh, who had supported the rapists in the Kathua rape-and-murder case, to participate in the Bharat Jodo Yatra, which is scheduled to enter Jammu and Kashmir on January 19.
“The Congress will have to look into it that some people might try to use the yatra to whitewash their past. We have not forgotten the role played by those leaders who tried to save the rapist. The way they hurt the sentiments of people is not hidden from anyone,” Abdullah told reporters here.
The former chief minister was responding to a question whether the Congress should allow the participation of leaders like Singh, who had come out in support of the rape accused while being a minister in the PDP-BJP government.
The political slugfest erupted a day after Deepika Singh Rajawat resigned from the post of party spokesperson over the expected participation of Lal Singh.
In a series of tweets, Rajwat announced her resignation from the party, saying Lal Singh defended the rapists of the eight-year-old girl in Kathua’s Rasana and divided the entire Jammu & Kashmir to protect the rapists in the year 2018.
“In view of Ch.Lal Singh’s proposal of joining @bharatjodo & @INCJammuKashmir allowing the same, I am left with no other option but to resign from @INCIndia .Lal Singh was responsible in sabotaging the Kathua rape case in 2018 by brazenly defending rapists,” Deepika tweeted Tuesday evening.
Singh, along with other minister Chander Prakash Ganga were forced to resigned from their respective cabinet ministries after their controversial remarks in Kathua minor rape-and-murder case, days before BJP pulled out of the coalition government with PDP in June 2018.
Both the leaders were allegedly supporting the rape accused and were demanding the CBI inquiry.
In 2018, an eight-year-old nomadic Muslim girl in Rasana village of Kathua was kidnapped and raped in captivity after having been kept sedated for four days before she was bludgeoned to death.
“Whatever happened in Kathua is shameful and everyone knows who did what. I think it’s the internal politics of Congress and they should see what suits them. They will ultimately decide who joins and who not. The people also know who defended Kathua rapists.” PDP Spokesman Najmu Saqib said.
However, senior Congress leader and coordinator of Bharat Jodo Yatra, Ghulam Ahmad Mir slammed Omar and asked him to question his father Farooq Abdullah before pointing fingers at Congress.
“I want to remind Omar Sahib that who invited like minded people in Jammu in 2022 for an all party-meet over proposed inclusion of non-local voters. Wasn’t Lal Sing invited?” Mir said.
He further said that Congress hasn’t invited anyone from any part of the country to join the Yatra.
“Whosoever joined, did it by their will and wish,” Mir added
J&K Congress president Vikar Rasool Wani told Kashmir Observer that they haven’t taken a final call on Lal Singh’s inclusion in the Yatra.
“Let me tell you we haven’t taken any call on this as of now. Lal Singh wished to join the yatra but we are yet to discuss his participation,” Wani added. (With PTI inputs)
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