: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said that the entire country stands shoulder to shoulder with Kashmiri Pandits in their happiness and sorrow as he greeted them on the occasion of ‘Jyeshtha Ashtami’.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor’s remarks came amid a spike in incidents targeted killings of Kashmiri Pandits in Kashmir.
“Today is the holy day of Jyeshtha Ashtami. (I extend my) warm wishes to all Kashmiri Pandit brothers and sisters on this auspicious day. May the blessings of Maa Kheer Bhavani always be with you all,” Kejriwal said in a tweet in Hindi.
“I want to assure the Kashmiri Pandit community that the entire country is standing shoulder to shoulder with you in your every happiness and sorrow,” he said.
The AAP chief has been raising the issue of targeted killings of Kashmiri Pandits for the past few weeks. Kejriwal has also sought appointment with Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss the issue.
The party also held a ‘Jan Aakrosh Rally’ at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on June 5 over the issue.
Addressing the rally, Kejriwal alleged that Kashmiri Pandits are being forced to leave the Valley, a repeat of what happened in the 1990s, due to the targeted killings of minorities and called for an action plan to stop such incidents.
The AAP chief said this shows the BJP cannot handle Kashmir and only knows how to do dirty politics.
Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed a spike in incidents of targeted killings since May this year. The spate of targeted killings included that of Rahul Bhat, a Kashmiri Pandit, who was shot dead inside the tehsildar’s office in Chadoora tehsil of Budgam district.
Countering Kejriwal’s charges, Union minister Anurag Thakur accused him of “politicising” the targeted killings in Jammu and Kashmir at a time when all sections of the society were standing firm with the people of the Union territory.
“At a time when the entire nation is standing shoulder to shoulder with the people of Jammu and Kashmir and condemning the acts of terror, Kejriwal has not spoken a word of condemnation against the separatist forces,” he said in a statement.
“Those who question the valour of armed forces and join hands with anti-national Khalistani forces for the sake of power, with what face will they condemn terror?” he asked.
